The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
by Conjuring Rain
Summary: An evil entity wants to destroy peace, love and happiness, and Link, along with five others from another universe, are going to make sure that doesn't happen.
1. INTERLUDE

**Note: **Basically this is Skyward Sword retold, but with a big twist. Some SSBB and SSBM characters will be included in this story. If you do not like reading things like this, then please leave now.**  
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**INTERLUDE**

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_**This is a tale that you humans have passed down uncounted generations…**_

_It tells of a war of unmatched scale and ferocity, the likes of which would never be seen again. _

_One dark, fateful day, the earth cracked wide and malevolent forces rushed forth from the fissure._

_They mounted a brutal assault upon the surface people, driving the land into deep despair. _

_They burnt forests to ash, choked the lands sweet springs, and murdered without hesitation._

_They did all this in their lust to take the __**ultimate power**__ protected by Her Grace, the goddess._

_The power she guarded was without equal._

_Handed down by gods of old, this power gave its holder the means to make any desire a reality._

_Such was the might of the ultimate power that the old ones placed it in the care of the goddess._

_To prevent this great power from falling into the hands of evil swarming the lands…the goddess gathered the surviving humans on an outcropping of earth._

_She sent it skyward, beyond the reach of the demonic hordes. Beyond even the clouds._

_With the humans safe, the goddess joined forces with the land dwellers and fought the evil forces, sealing them away._

_At last, peace was restored to the surface._

_This is a tale that you humans have told for many ages, generation to generation…_

_But there are other legends, long hidden away from memory, that are intertwined with this tale._

_Now, a new legend bound to this great story stands ready to be revealed._

_A legend that will be forged by your own hands._


	2. SO IT BEGINS

**SO IT BEGINS**

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Upwards, way upwards, up high in the sky, a large red bird, a Loftwing, soared through the clouds, heading towards a massive floating land called Skyloft. A purple colored Loftwing flew right beside it, heading towards the same destination.

Three more Loftwings came out of nowhere, darting right along the massive Skyloft. As they soared on by, three people leapt off of the land, easily landing onto the three Loftwings.

Somewhere else on Skyloft, a girl with pretty blonde hair was standing in a beautiful place, in front of a huge divinely spectacular statue. She has a small harp in her hands and she's singing a soft and pretty melody, gently playing the harp.

The giant, purple Loftwing from before flew down towards her, landing right in front of her and causing her to stop singing and playing her harp. She looked up at the bird creature and smiled kindly at it. Then she holds out a white envelope towards the Loftwing.

The purple Loftwing took the envelope into its mouth and then took off into the sky again; leaving the girl standing there and watching it fly off towards its destination.

After a moment, the girl turns her head towards the statue, looking around as if she heard something, but there was nothing there…

**[DREAM]**

_A young man with dark blond hair and blue eyes appeared in some dark place, looking around in confusion, not knowing what was going on. Then he turned his head once more, seeing a dark, horrifying creature towering over him. _

_The abomination opened its large mouth and let out a terrifying roar, showing its multiple sharp teeth. _

_The young man gasped a little, backing up in shock and fear, staring up at the monstrosity. _

_And then, suddenly, there was a bright light from above, causing the young man to shield his eyes with his arm, as he looked upwards._

_A ball of light floated down and it began to speak to him in a very strange voice…_

"_**Rise, Link…The time has come for you to awaken…"**_

_The young man, Link, had no idea what this thing was talking about and was still very much perplexed and fearful._

_However, the light continued to speak to him. __**"You are fated to have a hand in a great destiny along with five others, and it will soon find you all…"**_

_Link was still baffled. He is fated to have a hand in a great destiny along with five others, and it will soon find them all? What five others? What destiny? What was this light talking about? What in the world was going on?_

"_**The time has come for you to awaken…"**__ The light continued talking in that strange, unique voice. __**"Link…"**_

_The light then vanished and the hideous beast before him roared extremely loud and viciously, throwing its massive head back. _

_Link shut his eyes, gasping and still holding up his arm, completely horrified by the monstrosity before him._

_He started to open his eyes when he began to hear a familiar shriek, the shriek of a Loftwing._

_Link looked around in confusion, trying to peer into the never ending darkness, trying to find the source of the sound. He looked leftwards, rightwards, backwards, and forwards, but still found nothing._

_When he turned his head to look in front of him again, he was immediately shocked to see a Loftwing's face right up in his own._

**[END OF DREAM]**

Link fell off of his bed, immediately jolting awake from the sound of a Loftwing's loud shriek.

Link dazedly gazed at his room ceiling, realizing he was in his room and not in some dark place. He looked around, seeing a purple Loftwing's head poking out of his window with an envelope in its mouth.

Everything was quiet for a few minutes. But then the Loftwing spat out the envelope, the envelope mercilessly hitting Link's head. The Loftwing let out a soft shriek before pulling its head out of the window and flying away, letting the window shut.

Link sighed tiredly, still feeling a bit drowsy. A few of the Loftwing's purple feathers gently floated to the ground.

"Gosh…" Link mumbles wearily, getting to his feet and picking up the letter, rubbing the back of his head. He began to wonder who the letter was from. He got a good look at it and realized it was from his childhood friend. He opened it and began to read it.

Hey sleepyhead,

I know how much you like to sleep in, so I'm guessing this letter will be your alarm clock this morning. Did I guess right? Rise and shine, **Link**! Today's the **Wing Ceremony**! You promised to meet me before it starts, remember? 

You'd better not keep me waiting.

-**Zelda**

Link finished reading the letter and chuckled a little, raising an eyebrow. Oh yes, he remembers. Yesterday he had promised his childhood friend, Zelda, that he'd meet her before the Wing Ceremony, which is a very important ceremony in becoming a knight in Knight Academy, which is where he is now.

Link put the letter away and ran a hand through his dark blond hair. "Okay, here I come, Zelda…" He mutters, heading towards the door to his room. However, he stopped to open his closet, finding a Blue Rupee inside, which is worth 5 Rupees.

"Huh…I wonder how that got in there." Link mumbled, shrugging before putting the Blue Rupee into his wallet, shutting the closet doors afterwards and then exiting the room.

Link shut the door behind him and found himself in a long corridor. He started making his way towards the big double doors of the Knight Academy, but suddenly saw one of his friends trying to lift some barrels, but was having a very hard time doing so.

"Hey, morning!" Link greeted his friend, Fledge, giving him a wave and approaching him.

The guy, Fledge, stopped trying to lift barrels and immediately stood up, whipping around to face Link, clasping his hands together in front of him and looking kind of tired.

"Good morning, Link!" He talked cheerfully. "Today's the big Wing Ceremony, right?"

Link gave him a short nod. "Yep."

Fledge unclasped his hands, getting a sad and disappointed look on his face. "I wanted to fly too, but I…I didn't make the cut, so I'm stuck back here at the academy."

"I see." Link mutters.

Fledge starts making hand gestures, continuing talking, "Plus, I've got to move these **barrels** over to the kitchen," He gestured over to the big kitchen next to them. "I was hoping to at least be able to cheer you on, Link, but…I guess that's the way it goes," He smiled sheepishly at Link. "Go out there and wow them, buddy!"

"Don't worry, I will," Link tells him with a smile. "Well, after I meet up with Zelda first."

"You're meeting with Zelda?" Fledge looked a bit surprised.

"Yep," Link replied with an easy grin. "I promised her yesterday that I'd meet with her before the Wing Ceremony, so I'm going to keep my promise to her and go meet her."

"Wow, you're so lucky, Link." Fledge tells him.

Link raised an eyebrow. "Lucky? We're childhood friends, Fledge! We do everything together!"

Fledge just nodded, smiling. "I know, I know. Anyway, I hope you are the one to be victorious in the Wing Ceremony today. Like I said before, go out there and wow them, pal!"

"Will do!" Link tells him before turning and wending off, whistling a little. He reached the double doors of the Knight Academy and opened one of them, stepping outside.

He realized it was a very beautiful day and that the sun is shining brightly. Link thought this was much, _much_ better than the darkness in his dream. Suddenly, he began to frown as he walked away from the Knight Academy. He was still perplexed about that dream he had. He's been having many of the same ones, a light telling him about how he needs to be awakened and that there are five others who has a destiny along with him. He was so confused!

"Hey, Link! Up here!"

Link heard the voice and looked up, seeing his friend, Horwell up on the second floor of the Knight Academy. He was leaning over the edge, staring down at him with a huge smile plastered upon his face.

"Good morning to you, Link! Today's finally the day of the long-awaited Wing Ceremony!" Horwell exclaims cheerfully.

"Yep, I know." Link spoke.

"Are you feeling ready? Oh, I just remembered. There's something I'd like to ask you about." Horwell stated, looking like he just recalled something.

"Fire away." Link sighed.

"Oh, but it's a little silly to carry on a conversation from this distance," Horwell talked. "Why don't you come join me up here?"

"Eh? Well…alright then." Link turns and was about to go back into the Knight Academy to take the stairs, but Horwell stopped him.

"Wait!" Horwell exclaimed. "You should be able to climb up if you **dash** up to the top of that wooden box, don't you think?" He lifts a finger and points to two large wooden boxes up against a stone wall thing that looked like it used to be a small walkway to the other side of where Horwell is standing.

Link stopped and whipped around, eyeing the boxes.

"You should be able to make that jump fairly easily!" Horwell commented, sounding quite cheerful. "Try climbing up here!"

"Right, right…" Link mutters, backing up a bit. Then he started sprinting towards the large wooden boxes, easily lifting one foot and stepping onto its side, bringing himself up and latching his hands onto the top edge of the boxes. He lifts his other foot up and climbs to the top, grunting a bit. Then he gets onto the broken walkway, turning to look at Horwell.

"So what do you think?" Horwell began. "Sprinting is useful, isn't it?"

"Of course it is!" Link talked, shrugging. "I sprint all the time! You act as if I've never sprinted before."

"Ah…well, sorry about that," Horwell sheepishly says. "However, don't dash around so much that you tire yourself out, or your **stamina gauge** will empty and you'll be completely out of breath. It's best to take a little break when your stamina gauge gets close to empty."

"I know _that_, Horwell." Link reminds him.

"Ahem," Horwell cleared his throat. "Got all that? On to the next point…"

Link tried not to roll his eyes.

"You can jump a short distance like this," Horwell waved a hand towards the gap between him and Link. "Just by moving toward it. I like to call it the **autojump**. Ahh, yes, autojump…It just has a nice ring to it."

"Only to you…" Link mutters.

"What was that?" Horwell looked confused, eyeing Link.

Link put on a smile. "Nothing, nothing! Here I come!" He shouts, sprinting towards the edge of the thing he's on. He easily jumps to the other side and makes it over to Horwell, not even breaking a sweat.

"So what are you up to?" Horwell questioned once Link looked at him. "Rushing to get some last-minute bird-riding practice in this morning, Link?" He asked.

"Nah," Link responded with a shake of his head. "I'm going to meet someone before the Wing Ceremony."

"Oh?" Horwell looked a little surprised. "You have someone to meet?"

"Yep. Zelda." Link answered with a short nod.

"Ah, Zelda's waiting for you, is she?" Horwell smiled.

"Yep," Link answered again, shrugging. "So, uh, I have to get going if I want to see her in time. Besides, she told me not to keep her waiting!"

"Perfect timing, then!"

Link looked confused. "Huh?"

"You see, Zelda's father, Headmaster **Gaepora**, has a pet named **Mia**, and, well…she's scampered off again." Horwell explains, clasping his hands together behind his back.

"Is that so?" Link really didn't feel like getting Gaepora's pet when Horwell could just do it himself. "Do you know where she is?" He queried.

Horwell nods, pointing back behind them, at a small cat-like creature sleeping on one of the roofs of the Knight Academy. "Look! Over there! Do you see her?" He questioned.

Link looks. "Yes."

Horwell turned back to Link, clasping his hands behind his back again. "The headmaster is so busy working with Zelda preparing for the ceremony..." He explained slowly, a sheepish grin appearing on his face. "I thought that maybe I should feed her, but the ceremony is about to start and I just put on a fresh set of clothes and, well…you see…"

Link stopped him there, holding up a hand and sighing, "Say no more. You want me to go up there and retrieve Mia for you, right?"

Horwell nodded, looking hopeful.

It was in Link's nature to help others, so he couldn't just say no to Horwell no matter how bad he wanted to.

So, he finally muttered, "I'm on it!"

Horwell looked very happy now. "Fantastic! So you'll do it? I know you're in a hurry, so I really appreciate your taking the time to help."

"No problem." Link talked, shrugging nonchalantly. Yes, he told Horwell it was no problem, but deep down, it _was_ a problem. But of course, Link wouldn't tell Horwell _that_.

Horwell gleefully pointed over behind them again, but this time towards a wall with green vines crawling around it along with another gap to reach those vines. "You should be able to climb up somewhere over there. If you hang off that ledge there, you can climb onto the roof from the other side." He explained to him. "I'm terribly sorry, but I know you're quite the climber! I really do appreciate it."

Link just nodded and took of sprinting towards the ledge, kicking his feet up the wall and grasping the ledge with both hands. Then he started climbing his way over to the other side. When he finally reached the other side, he let go of the ledge, dropped down, sprinted and jumped over the gap, and grabbed onto the green vines, easily climbing them to the top of the roof.

Afterwards, Link needed to catch his breath. So he took a few minutes to do that. When he was done, he started looking for a way to get onto the other roof where Mia slept. It was way too high for him to sprint and jump up to. Just when Link was about to make his way over to a large wooden box, he heard Horwell's voice, which stopped him in his tracks.

"Hey, Link!"

"Yes?!" Link called back.

"I don't care how good a jumper you think you are. You'll never reach a roof that high," Horwell yelled at him. "There should be a wooden box up there. Grab and move one with your hands, and use it as a platform of sorts!"

"Okay!" Link yelled back wearily. He turned towards the box again and sighed, wondering how Horwell knew there was a wooden box up here. "I sure didn't see it when I was down there with him." He muttered, lifting his hands and pushing the wooden box against the wall so he could climb up to the roof.

Once that was done, he backed up and sprinted towards the box, kicking his legs up and climbing onto it and then grasping the ledge of the roof, easily climbing up with a few grunts. He then saw Mia sleeping peacefully there. He went over and quickly picked her up, staring up at her.

She woke up with a, "Meow!"

Link flashed her a grin. "Hey there."

"Mrrow!" Mia meowed again.

Link held the kitty thing in his arms and made his way back to Horwell. Once he did, Horwell raised his hands in surprise and grinned.

"Nice work!" He praised. "You've brought her back safe and sound!"

"Yep." Link put Mia down in front of Horwell.

"Sorry for troubling you with this. I know you're busy, Link! I suppose I should feed Mia now…" Horwell trailed, eyeing the cat creature.

"Yeah, you should." Link griped.

"Please tell the headmaster that we found his pet," Horwell tells him with a sigh. "He should be up by the **Statue of the Goddess**."

At the mention of the giant statue, Link naturally turned in that direction, gazing at the large Statue of the Goddess, knowing that's where he had to go anyway.

"I believe Zelda is there with him, so you should hurry along." Horwell announced.

"Right, see you." Link turned and immediately started sprinting in that direction, stepping on a **Stamina Fruit** along the way, the magical fruit mystically replenishing all of his stamina as he ran.

However, a guy named Jakamar, who was standing by some closed gate, stopped him in his tracks.

"Mornin', Link," He greeted him. "How's life? Did you manage to get even a wink of sleep last night?" He asked him.

"Oh, I got plenty of sleep," Link responded with a small smile. "I slept like the dark sky at night."

"Oh. Figured you might've been tossin' and turnin' all night thinkin' about the big **Ceremony** today." Jakamar talked, staring at him thoughtfully while gripping a hammer in his right hand.

Link noticed the hammer and raised an eyebrow. "What are you up to, Jakamar?" He questioned him.

"What am I doin'?" Jakamar spoke. "Oh, just fixin' this gate here," He gestured towards the closed gate beside them. "It's been squeaky lately, and we can't have that on the day of the ceremony!"

"True." Link commented.

"Hey, you haven't already forgotten to **send your prayers** to the goddess this morning, have you?" Jakamar questioned him curiously.

"Uh…no?" Link replied, looking a bit confused.

Jakamar pointed his hammer in the direction of a statue of a bird. "Just face the **bird statue** over there, and say a short prayer to **save** your progress." He explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Save my what?" Link looked even more perplexed.

"As you know, those bird statues are all over Skyloft," Jakamar tells him, completely ignoring Link's question and perplexity. "It's about time you get in the habit of stoppin' at a statue every time you run by one."

"Uh…right…" Link muttered, still looking quite baffled.

Jakamar then laughed. "**A prayer in time saves nine**, if you know what I'm sayin'!"

"Sure," Link says sarcastically. "Anyway, I'll see you later, Jakamar." He tells him while starting to jog towards the bird statue.

"Yeah, see ya!" Jakamar waved before getting back to work on the closed gate before him.

Once Link made it over to the bird statue, he examined it closely. "So I guess I just give it a short prayer?" He said to himself before getting down on one knee and clasping his hands together, bowing his head and closing his eyes.

The young man muttered a short prayer and was surprised when he felt something magical sweep through him. That's when he knew his 'progress' had been 'saved'.

Link slowly got to his feet, his eyes wide. "Well…that's kind of weird," He mumbled to himself before turning away from it. "Anyway, Zelda is still waiting. I better hurry."

He turned and started sprinting up the wooden steps towards the Statue of the Goddess, running as fast as he could, but also losing stamina and breathing heavily. Luckily, there was a Stamina Fruit up there. He stopped and picked it up, tossing it into his mouth and savoring the sweetness of the fruit. The magical fruit immediately replenished all of his stamina.

When he was done, he continued on his way.

Finally, he reached his destination!

He could see his friend, Zelda, standing in front of the Statue of the Goddess, dressed in pink and looking very beautiful. She had her back facing him, not noticing him just yet. Zelda held a small harp in her hands and she was playing it gently while singing softly.

A bright smile jumped onto Link's features after he laid eyes on her and he stopped, hearing her sing beautifully.

"_Oh youth, guided by the servant of the goddess…_"

Link smiled softly at this and began to approach her slowly, making his way towards her as she continued to play and sing softly.

"_Unite earth and sky…Bring light to the land…_" Zelda continued singing the wonderful melody, her fingers gracefully brushing against the strings of the golden harp.

As Link continued to approach her, Zelda stopped, hearing his footsteps. She turned around and gave him a big smile.

"Hey!" She greeted him cheerfully. "Good morning, Link."

Link returned her smile with a brilliant one of his own. "Good morning, Zelda!" He greeted her back, finally stopping in front of her.

Zelda held the harp in her arms now, gazing at him happily. "I'm glad to see my **Loftwing** got you out of bed. I was pretty sure you'd sleep in and forget to meet me this morning."

"Nah, I wouldn't forget something like this!" Link tells her, waving a hand in a dismissive manner. Then he got a thoughtful look on his face. "But I _was_ still sleeping, so…maybe I would've slept in if your Loftwing didn't come…" Link gave her a sheepish smile.

Zelda rolled her eyes. "I knew it!"

"Sorry!" Link apologized, laughing a little.

"It's okay," Zelda sighs, but then smiles brightly, thrusting the harp out in front of her and showing him. "But look at this instrument! And look at this outfit! They're mine to use today in the ceremony, since I'll be playing the role of the goddess."

Link examined the harp thoughtfully, thinking it looked pretty nice. Then his eyes moved to Zelda's body, thoroughly examining her majestic outfit. He nodded, grinning. "They're pretty nice." He complimented.

"I know," Zelda gushed. "Aren't they beautiful? Especially this instrument! They tell me it's just like the one the goddess was said to have in the legends." She explained excitedly.

"Is that so?" Link looked interested.

Zelda nodded with a smile. "It sounds gorgeous too. I asked **Father** about it, and he says it's called a **harp**." She tells him.

"Well, that's pretty interesting." Link says with another nod, returning Zelda's smile once again.

Zelda then giggled and lowered the harp, still smiling. "And look at these clothes!" She exclaimed. "I made this wrap myself, and we get to use it in today's ceremony! Between the harp and this outfit, I'm going to make a great goddess today!"

"I fully agree with you, Zelda!" Link comments, laughing a bit at Zelda's excitement.

"Of course you do," Zelda says. "I got you up early this morning because I wanted you to be the first to see me like this, Link!"

Link felt quite honored at Zelda's words and it brought a light blush to his cheeks.

Zelda didn't notice and spun around in a circle, giggling cheerfully. "So…how do I look?" She asked.

"Great!" Link responded immediately, smiling.

Zelda looked incredibly happy hearing Link say that and she tilted her head to the side, smiling brightly and holding the harp in her arms tightly. "Hah, I think so too! But it's nice to know you agree. Thanks, Link."

"You're very welcome." Link talked, putting his hands on his hips and just gazing at her fondly.

Suddenly, the two of them turned their heads, hearing a deep and kind voice near them.

"Ah, there you are, Zelda. Are you all prepared for today's ceremony?"

A big man, Gaepora, approached them, Zelda's father.

"Oh, hello, Father." Zelda greeted her parent, making Link glance at her for a few seconds before returning his gaze back to Gaepora.

"Ah, Link, you're here too," said Zelda's father, stopping before them. "Outstanding."

"Hey, sir." Link greeted him with a short wave.

Gaepora smiled at him. "It's encouraging to see you up so early, given your capacity for sleep. No doubt today's ceremony had you too excited to close your eyes for once!"

"Yep." Link nods.

"If you win today's ceremonial race, you'll get to participate in the postrace ritual with Zelda, so give it your best out there." Zelda's father warns him, giving him a look.

"Sir, _my best_ is all I can give!" Link boasted with a huge smile upon his lips, looking all full of himself.

Gaepora laughed at this. "Ah, confident, are we?"

"You bet!" Link said.

"Yes. About that…" Zelda suddenly piped up, bowing her head a little, trailing off.

Link and Gaepora gave her a wondering look.

Zelda suddenly lifted her head, looking very concerned. "Father, I don't know if he can do it!" She exclaims, shocking Link and making him shut his eyes in surprise.

Link was truly shocked. Zelda, out of all people, thought he wouldn't be able to do it?!

"Recently Link hasn't been practicing much at all for the ceremony!" Zelda continued, still sounding very much concerned.

After hearing this, Link sheepishly and shamefully bowed his head. Everything that was being said was truly _true_! He hasn't been practicing at all for the ceremony. He just thought that he'd be able to do it _without_ any practice!

Zelda turns her head to look at Link, narrowing her eyes. "And even when he's out riding his Loftwing, he's just lazily gliding around. Probably daydreaming!" She accused.

"Ah…heh…" Link didn't know what to say.

"I don't know what he's thinking," Zelda went on, still giving him a look. "He's going to have to be in perfect control of his bird to win today." She turns away from him and takes a few steps towards her father.

Gaepora walks towards her, flapping his hands in the air in front of her, motioning for her to calm down. "No need to worry yourself, Zelda." He tells her gently.

Link lifts a hand and rubs the back of his head, still feeling quite sheepish about not practicing for the ceremony.

"Though you may have a point," Gaepora continued on. "Today's Wing Ceremony tests the skill of the rider as well as his bond to his bird. Victory will not come easily."

Zelda nodded to what he said, listening very closely to her father's wise words and whatnot.

"And, as you pointed out, I haven't seen him practicing as hard as some of the other students," talked Zelda's father. "But you've known him since you were both very little. You should know better than to fret about him!"

Zelda pursed her lips after hearing this, but didn't cut in to say anything or something. She just listened. Link did the same from beside her.

"You see, Link and his Loftwing share a special connection. I've never seen anything quite like it," said Gaepora, looking up at the sky as he spoke, causing Zelda and Link to do the same. "As you know, each of us in Skyloft is but one half a pair. We are only made whole by our Loftwings, the **guardian birds** that the goddess bestows upon each of us as a symbol of her divine protection."

Gaepora turned around, looking back at Zelda, spreading his arms a little. "When we are young, every one of us meets our Loftwing under the great Statue of the Goddess. It's quite a big moment, as I'm sure you recall," He then slowly turned to look at Link, looking very nostalgic. "Ahh, but that first meeting between Link and his Loftwing was extraordinary."

Zelda turned her head to look at Link silently. Link gazed back at her, as he listened to Gaepora's words, remembering meeting his Loftwing for the first time. It brought a small smile to his features.

"The bird that came to him was a **Crimson Loftwing**," continued Zelda's father. "It is a breed so rare we were sure for some time that it had vanished from the line."

Link looked up towards the sky, memories flashing through his head like pictures.

"Yes, and the boy and his bird seemed to share a profound connection from the moment they met." Gaepora said.

After hearing this, Link removes his gaze from the sky looking at him and chuckling a bit, rubbing the back of his head.

"Do you recall when Link and that Loftwing of his first met?" Gaepora questioned Zelda. "What a sight!"

Zelda sighed a little, remembering that day.

"The little boy just hopped up on that bird and gracefully flew away, without even a moment of instruction!" Zelda's father continued to boast about Link. "They were meant for each other. And judging by how jealous you were that day, I'd say the friendship he shared with his bird didn't go unnoticed by you, my dear."

Zelda let another sigh escape his lips, knowing that her father was exactly right and correct about everything. She _had_ been jealous of the friendship Link and his Loftwing shared with each other.

Link started gazing back up at the sky again, closing his eyes and letting the wind caress his skin. He started reminiscing again, getting incredibly nostalgic about those memories. Link opened his eyes and expected to see his Crimson Loftwing soaring through the clouds, but, oddly, he did not see it.

Gaepora smiled at his daughter. "Ah, but who can blame you? I'm sure you weren't the only one envious of the powerful bond shared by Link and his bird," He tells her. "Anyone who is part of something special is bound to catch some nasty looks sooner or later, hoo hoo." He laughed.

Zelda gazed at Link for a few minutes before sighing loudly, bowing her head. Then she looked up, turning around to face her father and clutching her harp tightly. "This contest is nothing to laugh at, father!" She exclaimed.

Zelda's father started flapping his hands in the air in front of him, trying to get her to calm down a bit.

However, Zelda continued, "This ceremony is part of the final test for those training to become knights of Skyloft!"

The pretty young lady then calmed down, looking downwards a bit. "If Link doesn't fly fast enough during the race…" She trailed off. Then she looked up again at her big father. "What if Link messes up his big chance…? What if he's not allowed to become a knight?"

"Calm down, my dear. It will be fine," Gaepora tells her, flapping his hands in the air again and giving his daughter an assuring smile. "Honestly, it's almost as though you become a completely different person when you worry about Link."

Zelda turned away from her father and frowned, marching towards Link determinedly. "Hey!" She called out to him, getting his attention.

Link turned around, looking at her in surprise. "Hm?"

"Listen, Link, you'd better fly your heart out today. At the very least, you need to squeeze in a little practice time before the race!" Zelda orders him, grabbing his hand and pulling him off towards a ledge of Skyloft.

Link stumbled after her, still being pulled. "Eh? Wait…I just feel that…there's something off about this…" He tries to tell her.

Unfortunately, Zelda doesn't listen and she continues onwards. "Come on! You'll thank me later!"

Once they reach the ledge, Zelda lets go of his hand and pushes him towards the edge, motioning for him to jump off. "Here we are," She says, poking her head out from his side. "Go on now. Jump off the edge and call your Loftwing. It's almost time for the ceremony, so try to practice seriously for once!" She poked her head out from his other side.

Link almost laughed at her antics, but then got serious, as he looked downwards towards the many clouds below.

"Zelda, listen…" Link began, getting extremely worried. "I have a really bad feeling. For some odd reason, I can't sense my Loftwing out there. It's like…it disappeared or something." He explained.

Zelda looked unconvinced. "Hmm? Oh yeah? You can't 'sense' your bird out there?" She asked him, sounding unconcerned. She didn't believe a word he just said.

Link nodded rapidly. "Yeah, Yeah. I can't feel it out there." He tells her, getting really nervous.

"Oh, I get it. You're trying to weasel out of having to practice!" Zelda exclaims, narrowing her eyes at him, still not believing him. "Nice try, but you're not fooling me."

"Zelda! I'm telling the truth! I can't sense my bird out there!" Link hollered, trying to convince her, sounding desperate.

"Off you go!" Zelda ignored him, giving him a violent shove.

Link let out a yell as he went over the edge, falling downwards through the clouds, his clothes and hair whipping wildly.

Link put two fingers into his mouth and whistled loudly for his Loftwing as he continued falling. He _knew_ he couldn't sense his bird out there, but he had to try calling, right?

However, his Loftwing did not come, which was a very, very bad thing.

Up above, back on the ledge, Zelda was watching Link fall, waiting for his bird to come and stop his fall. Her father stepped up from beside her, looking downwards towards the falling Link, his hands behind his back.

He then got concerned. "Hmm…" He hummed, frowning and looking quite baffled. "His bird sure is taking a long time to get here…"

Zelda gasped, looking at him. "Something's wrong!" She turns and then dives down over the edge, head first. She immediately whistled afterwards and her purple Loftwing came quickly. Zelda reached down and grasped her Loftwing's fur, holding on tightly.

They both shot downwards towards Link and caught him in no time, flying back up towards Skyloft.

"Hang in there, Link! I've got you!" Zelda exclaims as they fly upwards.

Link was dangling from Zelda's Loftwing's large feet like a puppet whose strings had been cut. He sighed in great relief, happy that he didn't fall to his death, but also deeply concerned that his Crimson Loftwing did not appear.

They then landed hard, Zelda's Loftwing falling onto its stomach and releasing Link. Link had rolled onto his back, breathing heavily while Zelda quickly went over to rub the feathers on her bird, making sure it was okay.

Gaepora quickly made his way over to them, worried. "Are you two all right?" He questioned them.

Link turned his head to look at him. "We're fine…" He muttered.

"I'm sorry, friend," Zelda tells her bird, feeling guilty for putting it through all of that. "I didn't mean to push you so hard. You didn't sprain your wing, did you?"

Gaepora starts searching the sky for Link's Loftwing, truly puzzled. "This is very odd, Link. What could have possibly happened to your Loftwing?" He asked, bafflement dancing in his tone. "For a bird to ignore the call of his master…It's unheard of!"

Link finally let out a deep sigh and got to his feet, grunting a bit and facing Gaepora. "I don't think my bird ignored my call. Something probably happened to it."

Gaepora nodded in agreement. "And you still can't sense your bird nearby, eh, Link?"

Link shook his head. "Nope."

"This is quite a problem, especially considering the Wing Ceremony is about to start…" said Zelda's father.

"Link?" Zelda spoke up suddenly, turning her head a little to look at Link, causing Link and her father to look back at her. "When you said you couldn't sense your Loftwing, well…I should have believed you…I'm sorry."

Link gave her a smile, waving his hand in a dismissive manner. "Eh, don't worry about it, Zelda. I should be thanking you for saving my life," He tells her. "So thank you for doing that."

Zelda smiled back at him. "You're welcome."

Link nodded.

"I need to tend to my own Loftwing, so I'll catch up with you later," Zelda talked, still gently rubbing her Loftwing. "You'd better go on ahead and see if you can find where your bird has gone!"

Suddenly, they could all hear the sound of a large bell ringing, echoing throughout all of Skyloft.

Gaepora and Link looked at each other. "My, how did it get to be so late? If I recall correctly, this year Instructor Horwell is presiding over the ceremony," Zelda's father says. "Link, you should go explain the situation to him and see if he's willing to delay the race a little so that you can find your bird."

Link nods. "Right."

Zelda laughed a little at this, looking at her father. "But, father, you're the headmaster of the academy! If Link asks Instructor Horwell, he'll probably just come talk to you about it."

Zelda's father chuckled. "Ah, quite true. As usual, you make an excellent point, my dear. Very well, I'll explain the situation to him myself. Link, run along and tell Instructor Horwell to come see me in my quarters." He orders Link.

"Okay." Link says and then immediately takes off sprinting, leaving Zelda, her father, and the Statue of the Goddess, heading down the wooden steps again and back towards the gate. He stopped by the Bird Statue again and gave a short prayer, saving his progress.

When he was finished he started sprinting towards the academy, picking up a Stamina Fruit along the way and eating it, letting the magical fruit quickly replenish his stamina.

_I've got to hurry and tell Horwell, so I can go look for my bird!_ Link thought as he ran, going as fast as he could…

**[SUPER SMASH BROTHERS UNIVERSE]**

Sonic the Hedgehog was lazily relaxing on the roof of a huge mansion, the mansion where all the SSBB and SSBM fighters all stayed at. He had just got finished having a battle with Mario, Jigglypuff, and Samus. Now he was just relaxing and whatnot.

However, he was truly surprised when he heard a familiar voice.

"SONIC!"

Sonic's eyes snapped open and he sat up quickly, thinking he was dreaming or something.

"I…I must be dreaming…" He muttered, putting a hand to his head. "That can't be _her_…"

"OH SONIC!"

Sonic groaned and warily looked downwards, seeing a pink hedgehog standing there, hands on her hips and a very, _very_ big smile on her face. She looked really happy to see him.

"Amy…what are you doing here? How did you get here? Where did you come from? _Why_ are you even here?!" Sonic questioned her, sounding like it was the end of the world.

Amy Rose looked annoyed now. "I came here to see you, Sonic! How can you be so rude to your own girlfriend?" She asked, frowning.

"You're not my girlfriend!" Sonic hollers.

"YES I AM!" Amy screamed, whipping out her hammer. "I'll bash your brains in!"

Sonic cringed and stayed on the roof, knowing she wouldn't be able to get up there. "Too bad you can't do that though," Sonic smirked, getting comfortable again. "I'm way up here and you're way down there."

Amy stomped her foot onto the ground furiously. "SONIC! GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!" She shouted viciously.

"No." Sonic chuckled.

Amy screamed out in rage, having a giant fit.

Suddenly, Princess Daisy exited the mansion, looking confused and a bit irritated. She is dressed in her yellow tennis outfit instead of her dress. "What's all the commotion out here?!" She exclaimed.

Amy stopped her fit and looked at Daisy, raising an eyebrow. "Eh? Who are you?" She asked.

"I'm Princess Daisy!" Daisy answered, putting her hands on her hips. "Who are _you_?"

"I'm Amy Rose, Sonic's girlfriend!" Amy responded, sounding quite happy about it too.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Sonic shouted from up on the roof.

Daisy looked up at the blue hedgehog. "You know this girl?"

"Yeah. She's a friend of mine. We come from the same universe." Sonic responded with a shrug.

"Sonic, mind telling me how you know _her_?" Amy jabbed her hammer in Daisy's direction. "She's not your girlfriend, _is she_?" She asked in a very threatening voice.

"Of course not!" Sonic rolled his eyes. "We're just friends!"

"That's right." Daisy confirmed.

"Thought so!" Amy sniffed, putting her hammer away.

Suddenly, Marth, Roy, and Ike came out of the mansion along with Toon Link and Ganondorf.

"What is all the noise?" Marth questioned, looking around. Then his eyes landed on Amy. "Who is that?"

"I've never seen you before!" Roy exclaims, happily making his way over to Amy. He holds out his hand for a handshake. "I'm Roy! Nice to meet you!"

Amy took his hand and shook it. "Amy Rose."

"Hello there. I'm Ike," Ike introduced himself politely. "Are you a new fighter here, Amy Rose?"

"That'd be cool. We need more girls here!" Toon Link piped up cheerfully at Amy. "I'm Toon Link by the way!"

"No we don't." Ganondorf mumbled.

However, he went ignored.

"Sorry, but I'm not a fighter here!" Amy answered, letting go of Roy's hand, grinning widely. "I just came here to visit my Sonic!" She pointed a finger at Sonic on the roof.

Sonic stayed where he was while Ganondorf just walked back into the mansion, not wanting to deal with any of them. "I still want to know how you got here, Amy!" Sonic exclaims.

"I traveled here!" Amy responded. "Just like you!"

"Somehow…I don't believe you." Sonic muttered, shaking his head.

"WELL, YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT!" Amy screamed. Then she turned to Marth, Roy, Ike, Toon Link, and Daisy. "I'm Sonic's girlfriend!"

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" Sonic hollered, finally jumping down from the roof to greet his friends. "Hey, guys."

"Hey, Sonic!" Roy smiles at him. "You never told me you had a girlfriend."

Sonic facepalms.

"Are you sure you're Sonic's girlfriend?" Marth questioned Amy, eyeing her suspiciously. "Because he just said that you aren't."

Amy whipped out her hammer, glaring at Marth dangerously. "I _am_ his girlfriend!" She hissed like a venomous snake.

Marth held up his hands, backing away. "Okay, okay…"

"Trust me; you do NOT want to get hit with her mallet." Sonic whispers to them all.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Amy Rose." Ike tells the pink hedgehog kindly, being all friendly.

"Yeah, I agree!" Daisy piped up happily, crossing her arms.

"Anyway, whose match is next?" Toon Link questioned, looking around at everyone.

"I think Peach, Wario, Link, and I are next," Roy answered, looking rather thoughtful. "I should be getting ready."

"I have to see this!" Sonic declared with a grin.

"Yeah, you all can come watch, you too Amy." Roy tells the pink hedgehog with a nod of his head.

"Okay! I have nothing better to do!" Amy replied.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, an oval shaped, purple void opened up above them in the sky. The wind around them picked up extremely rapidly and the ground began to shake violently.

"What's going on?!" Amy cried, looking around in alarm.

"I think _that's_ what's going on!" Toon Link points upwards with his sword at the giant void.

"What is that?!" Sonic exclaims, staring up at the abomination in horror and confusion.

"Grab on to something! I think it's trying to pull us in!" Marth shouts out, grabbing onto a nearby tree. He holds out his hand for Daisy.

Daisy quickly grabs his hand, her body lifting up into the air because of the void in the sky.

"Ahhh! What's going on?!" She screams loudly, her eyes wide.

"SONIC!"

Sonic had been going over to join Marth and Daisy when he heard Amy's scream. He turned his head and looked, but instantly regretted it.

He saw Amy floating up into the void rapidly, holding her dress down so it wouldn't fly up.

"Sonic! Help me!" Amy wailed.

"Amy!" Sonic jumped up into the air, letting the void pull him up. He wrapped his arms around the pink hedgehog and they both got sucked inside the purplish abomination.

"Oh no!" Roy cried, watching this all happen. He wrapped an arm around Toon Link and tried to rush over to Marth and Daisy, but he started lifting up into the air along with Toon Link under his arm.

"Waaaah! Is this the end?!" Toon Link cried, clutching onto Roy.

"It…it can't be!" Roy exclaimed with huge eyes as they both got sucked into the ugly void.

Ike let out a loud yelp as he too was sucked into the void, leaving Marth and Daisy behind. The rest of the fighters that were still in the mansion, stared out from the windows in horror at the void. They didn't go outside because they knew they'd be sucked up too!

Daisy was grasping Marth's hand tightly, trying not to be sucked up. She looked towards the mansion and saw Luigi peering at her from one of the windows in complete terror.

"Luigi!" Daisy screams.

"My grip is slipping…" Marth muttered to Daisy, desperately trying to keep his grip on the tree he was holding onto.

Suddenly, Daisy lost _her_ grip and went sailing up into the void, screaming the entire time.

"Daisy!" Marth exclaimed in complete shock and horror. His grip finally broke and he went up into the void, being sucked up like a vacuum.

Right after Marth disappeared into the void, the void dispersed and everything went back to normal.

All of the fighters exited the mansion, shock, sadness, and horror evident on their faces.

"What just happened?!" Mario exclaimed, staring up at the sky.

"That thing sucked up Daisy and poor Toon Link!" Peach wailed with tears in her eyes.

"What do we do?!" Luigi cried.

"Marth, Toon Link, Daisy, Ike, Roy, Sonic, and a pink hedgehog all got sucked up into that…that thing that was in the sky!" Link mumbled from beside Zelda, staring up at the sky too.

"Will we ever see them again?" Zelda whispered, looking very sad.

"There's nothing we can do right now," Samus sighed with a shake of her head. "We're going to have to wait and see what happens."

"But we can't just sit here and do _nothing_!" Ness shouted, looking very distraught and unhappy. "Those were our friends!"

"Yeah, we have to do _something_!" Lucas agreed.

"What do you want to do?" Samus snapped at them. "Do you want to fly up into the sky and _hope_ that we see them floating out in space?!"

Ness and Lucas both went quiet after this.

"Calm down everyone. I'm sure they'll come back." Captain Falcon says with a nod of his head.

"He's right." Fox pipes up.

"Yeah!" Kirby agrees, jumping up and down.

"They're strong." Falco mumbles.

"Yeah, we shouldn't worry too much." said Lucario.

Everyone agreed that they'd wait for their return, knowing that they'd come back to them sooner or later.


	3. THE SEARCH

**THE SEARCH**

* * *

Link had rushed back to the Knight Academy and immediately told Instructor Horwell to meet Zelda's father in his quarters. Then he had a little chat with Owlan and Owlan had told him to just worry about searching for his bird. Link immediately obeyed and is now asking around for information on where his bird might be. First, he started with Pipit.

"Hey!" Link greeted the guy, walking over to him inside the Knight Academy building.

Pipit looked at him and then got a frown on his face, placing his hands onto his hips. "You're not still wandering around the academy, are you?!" He questioned him.

"No!" Link responded quickly. "I'm looking for my Loftwing! It's missing and I know this because it ignored my call when I called it! So that means something happened to it!"

Pipit looked extremely shocked. "What?! Your Loftwing won't come when you call for it? Why would a guardian bird not come when it's called?" He questioned, still very much shocked.

"Something must've happened to it…" Link mutters.

Pipit just shakes his head, sighing. "You know, I've never heard of this ever happening before, so I can't tell you what you're doing wrong…"

Link was about to speak, but Pipit cut him off.

"But a good senior never hangs an underclassman out to dry," Pipit tells him with a smile, his hands still on his hips. "We'll figure this out together!"

Link sighed, but smiled. "Thanks."

Pipit nodded, pointing behind him with a thumb. "You go to the plaza, and ask people there if they know anything. In the meantime, I'll ask around here." He suggested.

"Alright, great." Link says with a nod.

Pipit then walked off and went to do his part while Link turned and dashed out of the Knight Academy, picking up a Stamina Fruit along the way and munching on it.

He saw another one of his friends, a little boy that went by Gully. He was continuously rolling and hitting a tree, trying to do something…that Link didn't know what.

Link was just going to walk on by, but the boy stopped him.

"Hold up, Link!" Gully called out. "Hey! Hey, Link!"

Link turned around and approached the little boy. "Yeah, Gully? What is it?" He asked him.

"Could you help me with something?" Gully asked, looking up at him curiously and hopefully.

Link gave him a friendly smile. "Sure. I'd be happy to help you with anything." He answered him. Finding his bird could wait for a few minutes, right? This probably wouldn't take very long.

"All you have to do is dash and roll into this tree here," Gully points at the small tree beside them, smiling. "Just like I've been doing. Dash, then roll when you're in front of the tree to—BAM! Do a roll right into it! So come on…Pleeeeease?"

"Sure!" Link turned and dashed towards the tree, doing a front roll to thwack the tree.

A giant blue beetle flew off of the tree and into the air after this was done, and little Gully was excited and cheerful.

"Whooooooooa!" Gully exclaims, watching the bug. "You did it! A **Sky Stag Beetle**!"

Link chuckled a little at Gully's excitement, watching as the little boy went after the Sky Stag Beetle.

"Wait up!" Gully calls out to it, chasing it.

Link watched Gully for a few more minutes before noticing a Blue Rupee fall out of the tree. He grabbed it and placed it into his wallet before continuing on his way, to go to the plaza and ask around about his bird.

He grabbed a Stamina Fruit along the way and chewed on it as he dashed, the fruit replenishing his stamina like always.

Link slowed down a bit and finally caught sight of three others he knew in Skyloft that _aren't_ his friends. The three's names are, Groose, Cawlin, and Strich.

Groose is the leader of the three and has some kind of crazy, red hairdo. Cawlin is the midget of the three and has tiny eyes and a tiny mouth. And Strich is the tallest one of them all with bright yellow hair that covers his entire forehead.

Currently, Groose is sitting on the ground while Strich and Cawlin gave Groose a back massage or something. Well, that's what it looked like to Link anyway.

Link could hear them talking as he approached them.

"…You know, **Groose**, that sure was a pain, what with all the scratching and pecking." said Strich.

Groose, with his crazy hairdo, chuckled in delight. "Course it was. You thought a big **Crimson Loftwing** like that was gonna go down without a fight?"

Link immediately heard what Groose said and got a bit furious. He started to wonder just what the three goons had done to his bird!

"But we got him, and I don't care how tough those birds are supposed to be. He's not getting out of that pen anytime soon, boys." Groose tells his silly pals with a huge smile on his face.

Link stops in front of them, crossing his arms over his chest and wearing a very irked expression.

The three goons finally got to their feet. Cawlin and Strich both turned around first and were shocked to see Link standing there, taking a few steps back. They _knew_ that Link heard them talking about his bird.

Groose stretched out his arms and finally turned around too, but immediately got this shocked look on his face and jumped a little, backing up at the sight of Link.

"Whoa!" He exclaims. "Link! So, uh…yeah. Just how long you been standing there?" Groose questions.

"Long enough." Link growled, letting his hands drop to his sides. His blood was boiling by now due to all the anger he was feeling.

Groose suddenly grinned mischievously and put one hand behind his back, the other hand going to his chin as he began to slowly circle around Link.

"What's your problem, anyway?" He asked him as he laughed. "Oh, wait…I got it. You're here to talk about today's **race**. I can see it in those dopey eyes of yours."

Link balled his hands into tight fists, shaking a bit in pure fury. Dopey? Does his eyes really look _dopey_?!

However, Groose continued on, "They're pleading, "Oh, Groose, can you please find it in your heart to let me win today? Please!"

"Shut up!" Link snarled at him, really tempted to punch Groose's ugly lights out.

"Hey, quiet!" Cawlin suddenly snapped at Link. "Groose isn't finished talking yet, so shut your yap!"

Now Link felt like punching _Cawlin's_ lights out!

"You're just desperate to win so you can have some **alone time** with Zelda up on the **Statue of the Goddess** at the end of the ceremony," Groose accused Link, stopping right in front of him and getting in his face. "Well, sorry, pal. Groose doesn't do charity for wimps. My advice? Work hard and wish with all your heart. You might even come in second."

Link gave Groose a dark look, his hands still in tightened fists. "I'm not a wimp! And I'll beat your butt so bad that you'll _wish_ you never competed in this ceremony!" Link tells him, his voice filled with rage and annoyance.

Groose looked absolutely insulted. "Hey! You shut your yap when I'm talking to ya!" He pointed a finger at him.

"Make me." Link challenged, crossing his arms.

Groose looked like he wanted to hurt Link, but refrained from doing so. Instead, he smiled evilly. "…Say, come to think of it, how come I don't see your bird?" He questioned him in a knowing tone. "Where is that scruffy pile of red feathers?"

Link didn't say anything to that, but _knew_ Groose and his goony pals did something to his bird.

Groose chuckled and took a few steps away from Link, folding his big arms over his chest. "I can't imagine what could've happened to him. Do you think his tiny brain got confused by all the clouds and got lost?" He jokingly suggested.

"Give him back!" Link shouts at Groose.

Groose decided to play dumb and shrugged, unfolding his arms and spreading them out. "Huh? I've got no idea what you're talking about."

Link opened his mouth to say something, but Groose suddenly pointed a finger right in his face.

"You know, we're all getting tired of how you never let anyone forget you and Zelda **go way back**," Groose says harshly. "You've been friends since you were kids? Big deal. It doesn't change the fact that you float through life with your head in the clouds."

Link stared up at Groose, anger evident in his eyes.

"Would you wake up, straighten up, and grow a backbone already?" Groose went on. "Dopes like you are dragging our honored academy through the mud."

Suddenly, there was a female's voice.

"And just who might you be talking about, Groose?"

Everyone looked and saw Zelda standing there, hands on her hips and an angry expression dancing on her features.

Groose backed up a little, looking all shocked. "Oh…Zelda. Hey. Nah, it's…uh…" He was completely speechless.

Link gave Zelda a grateful look, but then let out a grunt when she walked over, pushing him behind her and staring up at Groose, immediately pointing a finger at his face much like Groose had done to Link a few minutes ago.

"Don't even try it, Groose!" Zelda tells him. "You're picking on Link again, aren't you?"

Groose didn't say anything and just stared at Zelda.

"He's a student at the academy, like all of us," Zelda explained to him, anger still in her voice. "Why do you insist on bullying him around so much?"

Groose finally opened his mouth to say something, but looked pretty out of it as he just gazed at Zelda. "Yeah…I suppose…"

"You suppose?" Zelda gave him a confused look, her finger still in his face. "Suppose what?"

Link rolled his eyes at Groose's odd behavior. He knew Groose liked Zelda a _lot_, and got all flustered when she was around him. However, Link grinned because Zelda had come and defended him from Groose like many times before in the past.

Groose started grinning dazedly and steam actually floated out of his nose and he chuckled goofily. "I…suppose…you…Er…"

And then, after a moment, he calmed down and shook his head, turning away from them. "Pfft! Forget it. I wasn't supposing anything, okay?"

Zelda let her hand drop, looking very perplexed. "Huh?"

Groose went on over to a ledge of Skyloft along with his pals. Groose struck a silly pose while Cawlin and Strich tried to look cool by posing with their arms crossed over their chests.

"Okay, we're outta here, boys. Later, Link!" Groose spoke tauntingly. "Hope you find your bird, or else you're gonna have to sit out today's race!" He laughed merrily. "That could be a major setback toward knighthood, so find that bird or get real used to the taste of failure! It's your special flavor."

And with that, all three of them leapt off of the ledge, immediately whistling for their Loftwings. They landed on their birds and took off into the sky, laughing the entire time.

Zelda watched them go with an annoyed expression on her features. "I hate to say it, but I'm beginning to suspect that those blockheads had something to do with your Loftwing's disappearance." She tells Link.

"No, really?" Link sarcastically replies, but smiles fondly at her.

Zelda laughed a little at his sarcasm, but then got serious again. "Link, those guys aren't going to help us find your bird, so we'd better start searching," She turns around to face him. "I'll fly around Skyloft and see if I can spot any trace of your bird."

"Okay, thanks, Zelda." Link sighs.

"No problem," Zelda tells him. "Father said he'd talk to Instructor Horwell about delaying the start of the Wing Ceremony, so don't worry. We'll find your bird in no time."

Link nods at her.

Zelda nods back at him and then turns, running towards the ledge and then flawlessly jumping off, whistling for her bird and taking off into the skies to do her duty.

Link turns and resumes his search for his Loftwing.

During his search, he came across a bridge where three women, that he knows, were standing on and having a 'dandy' conversation. The three women's names are, Goselle, Greba, and Mallara.

"Such a beautiful day, but we're too busy to enjoy it," said Goselle to the other women. "Some things never change."

"Isn't that the truth!" put in Greba. "The only thing my lug nut of a son is good for is getting grease on his shirt! All I do is laundry, laundry, laundry. It never ends!"

"I hear you!" added Mallara, fanning a hand at her face. "And I'm terrible at washing clothes. I wish I could get someone to do it for me."

Link turned away from them and jogged on over to a young lady named Orielle. "Hey there, Orielle!" Link greets her, huffing and puffing.

Orielle looks at him. "What's up, Link? You seem to be in a hurry…" She trailed off, staring at him.

"Yeah, something happened to my Loftwing." Link answered her with a shrug of his shoulders.

"What's this about your bird? Oh, that unusual Crimson Loftwing…" Orielle talked thoughtfully.

"Yeah, that one," Link confirmed. "Have you seen him anywhere in Skyloft? I've been looking all over the place."

"Have I seen him?" Orielle frowned, folding her arms and shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I haven't," Then she looks at him again. "Why don't you look for him by the Statue of the Goddess? You'll have a good view of the whole town from way up there. Just check your map. Knowing you, that's the best way to avoid getting lost…again."

Link grinned and gave a short nod. "Okay, thanks."

"You're welcome, Link!" Orielle tells him with a nod of her head, turning away from him and going back to what she had been doing before Link had come up to talk to her.

Link starts making his way towards the Statue of the Goddess while whipping out his map from out of nowhere and taking a look at it, slowly munching on a Stamina Fruit he had seen on the ground. No, he didn't need any stamina at the moment, but only the sweetness of the fruit!

Right when he reached the wooden steps up to the Statue of the Goddess, a loud voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Hey! Link!"

Link quickly put his map away and gobbled down the rest of the Stamina Fruit, turning in the direction of the voice. He could see Pipit and Fledge standing not too far from where he was, Pipit waving a hand at him and motioning for him to come over.

"Over here!" He called out again.

"Why?!" Link called back, wondering.

"I have some information about your Loftwing," Pipit responded loudly. "Come over here!"

Link sighed and started sprinting towards them, jumping down after reaching them and standing in front of them, looking at Pipit. However, he noticed Fledge looked a little distraught and very guilty.

"I wonder why…" Link mutters to himself.

"Hey, Link! I was just looking for you." Pipit tells him, making gestures with his hand.

"Yeah, and?" Link wanted to know _why_.

"_And_ get this: when I asked Fledge what he knew, he started acting weird." Pipit replied, putting his hands on his hips.

Link immediately moved his gaze to Fledge, raising an eyebrow and waiting for some kind of explanation.

Fledge sighed sadly. "I'm so sorry, Link!"

"What do you know about my bird?" Link demanded to know, getting really urgent now.

Fledge clasped his hands in front of him, sighing once more. "I really wanted to tell you, but…if Groose found out I told you…"

Link looked at Pipit.

Pipit talked, "It sounds like Groose forced him to keep quiet about it."

"Seems like it." Link mumbled.

Pipit turned to look at Fledge. "Go on! Tell him the truth."

Fledge sighed deeply and bowed his head in shame. "Just a little while ago, when I was cleaning the dining hall, Groose and his buddies came in. They didn't notice I was there and started talking about their **plan to hide** your Loftwing…"

Link and Pipit both listened intently, watching Fledge with their eyes.

"I wanted to warn you, Link. But just as I tried to sneak away…" Fledge continued on. "Groose and his gang grabbed me...They said that if I told you, they'd make sure I would never be able to ride a bird ever again!"

Pipit shook his head and looked at Link. "It sounds like Groose and his buddies had a plan to capture your bird and hide him near a **waterfall**," He tells Link. "Well, near a waterfall would mean…Quick—let's take a look at your map."

Link pulls out his map and unrolls it, showing it to Pipit.

Pipit looks at it and then points a finger at the destination. "That's it! Right there. I think it means the waterfall marked here with an X."

Link looked and noticed the X on the location, wondering how it got there out of the blue.

"You know how to read a map right?" Pipit questioned Link as he rolled up the map, handing it back to Link.

Link rolled his eyes, putting his map away. "Yes, Pipit. I know how to read a map!"

"Forgive me, Link!" Fledge exclaimed all of a sudden, sounding really apologetic and guilty. "I can't help being such a coward…I'm really sorry." He says.

Link gives him a small smile. "It's okay, Fledge. Don't worry about it. It's not your fault." He tells him and turns away. He was about to head towards the waterfall, but Pipit stopped him.

"One more thing, Link!" Pipit talked.

Link whipped around to look at him. "Yes?"

Pipit folds his arms, giving him a warning look. "If you're going out to the waterfall, remember that there are some dangerous things there. Creepy, crawly things. You'll need to carry a **sword**."

"Oh…right." Link muttered.

Pipit jabs a thumb towards the building behind them. "I think I saw the **Knight Commander** go into the Sparring Hall a while ago," He tells him. "You should go ask him if you could borrow one!"

"Thanks, Pipit!" Link says before rushing into the Sparring Hall and strolling on up to Eagus, the Knight Commander.

"Hey, Link!" Eagus greeted him cheerfully, holding a sword in his hand and standing tall and whatnot. "So you still want to get in some sword practice, even though today is the Wing Ceremony? I'm impressed."

Before Link could explain, Eagus cut him off, "The sword is in the back room. Go on back there and get it. I'll be here for a while, so if there's anything you don't understand about handling a sword, go ahead and ask."

Without a word, Link turned around and entered the back room, finding some things along with a blue chest. He frowned and approached the chest, opening it and then pulling out the Practice Sword!

He grinned and examined the blade, giving it a couple of swings before turning and leaving the room. He marched right up to Eagus and Eagus immediately started speaking to him.

"Oh yeah? You want to learn about how to use a sword?" He questioned him curiously.

"Even though I already know how to use one, yes please," Link responded with a nod of his head. "I just need a little practice, is all!"

"Okay! Just swing your arm to swing the sword!" Eagus answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

And so, the practicing commenced.

It didn't last very long though.

Link couldn't waste anymore time. The Wing Ceremony was going to start soon and he still didn't have his bird!

Link jogged towards the exit of the Sparring Hall and was about to make his exit, but, of course, Eagus stopped him.

"Hey! Link!"

Link slowly turned around. "Yeah?"

"You can't take swords outside of the Sparring Hall," Eagus tells him very seriously, looking at him like he was crazy. "What do you think you're doing sneaking out with that?!"

Link glanced at the sword in his hand before sheathing it. "I wasn't really _sneaking_ or anything…"

"Then what are you doing?!"

"You see…I need this sword so I can go get my bird behind the waterfall," Link explained calmly. "I need to defend myself against the monsters and whatnot, you know."

"What?" Eagus eyed him closely. "Your Loftwing is missing?"

"Yep."

"You want to go look for it?"

"_Yep_."

"Well I guess I could make an exception just this once," Eagus sighed heavily, nodding his head. "But remember that Skyloft is a peaceful place. Only knights carry swords! So I don't want to see you swinging it around like crazy out there! I don't want to get in a ton of trouble over this, so here's the deal…"

Link listened.

"Ah…never mind. Just go and hurry." Eagus waved him off.

Link looked confused, but shrugged, hurrying out of the Sparring Hall.

Finally!

* * *

**Note: **Marth shall be in the next chapter.


	4. THE PRINCE AND THE WING CEREMONY

**THE PRINCE AND THE WING CEREMONY**

* * *

Link exited the Sparring Hall and started jogging off, eager to go get his bird. But, of course, something else stopped him in his tracks. He turned around and saw some weird looking statue rising out from the ground. It bounced a little and stared at him with a strange eye.

"Hey, friend!" It exclaimed cheerfully. "Walk yourself on over here and say hello."

Link warily went on over, deciding that the statue thing was friendly enough and didn't look dangerous at all, only weird looking.

"Uh…hey." Link greeted it.

"How do you do?" It asked kindly. "I'm what you call a Sheikah Stone. Glad to meet you!"

"You too…" Link mutters.

"I'm a stone of few words, so I'll get right to it," It talked. "You're going to find yourself in puzzling circumstances as you make your way through this world. If you should find yourself stuck and you have no idea how to move forward, come see me."

"Okay." Link nodded, ready to leave.

"I've got nothing for you right now, but down the road when you're feeling stuck, **the things I'll show you** may just get you back on the right track." said the weird statue thing. "Good luck out there, friend!"

"Yeah, thanks!" Link gave it a wave before hurrying on, walking through Skyloft and making his way towards the waterfall, next to that creepy cave that's blocked off.

Once he reached his destination, he unsheathed his sword and suddenly felt his bird and _heard_ it! He sounded very distraught and stuck. He knew his bird was trapped somewhere.

Link put on a determined look and glanced down at the sign below him. He read out loud, "Waterfall Cave. Beware of bloodsucking monsters! No kids allowed."

He shrugged and started hacking away at the wooden stakes blocking the entrance into the cave. When he was done, he made his way inside, fearlessly _fearless_.

Link immediately came across some Keese, which were these ugly looking bat creatures. The Keese immediately swooped down and tried to bite him, screeching and flapping their hideous wings.

Link had already drawn his sword and was slashing at them mercilessly, throwing vertical and horizontal slices. Once he was done with that, he hurried on along, breathing a little deeply from all the moving around. Oh, he also picked up a Blue Rupee along the way and added that to his wallet, making him have 15 Rupees.

"I wonder how big this cave is…?" Link muttered to himself as he walked along, unaware of the monster approaching him from behind.

Suddenly, he felt something slimy and wet latch onto his body!

Link looked and realized it was a green Chuchu!

A Chuchu is basically a slime monster that looked like jell-o or something. Link shook the ugly creature off and then slashed at it with his blade, letting out a battle cry.

Link shuddered in disgust and saw that his clothes were now covered in green slime from the Chuchu. He shook his head and carried on, holding his sword out in front of him and looking around warily.

He came across a couple of more Keese and a few more Chuchus. They were easily taken out, earning him a Green Rupee, which is worth one Rupee. He put that away with the rest of his Rupees and then continued onwards, absentmindedly hacking away at some Keese.

Suddenly, Link came across a very steep slope, but a short one. He backed up a bit and then sprinted up the slope, losing a large amount of stamina from doing so. He started breathing heavily and then came across some Keese and two more Chuchus. He avoided them and then latched onto some green vines that were crawling around a wall. He climbed them up and found a small, brown chest.

Link grinned and bent down, opening it and finding a Red Rupee, which is worth 20 Rupees! Link chuckled and added that to his wallet, happy about finding so much dough. Then he leapt off of the ledge he was on and did a front roll to break his fall. Next, he found some pots and accidently kicked them, finding a few Hearts and a Green Rupee inside.

"This seems to be my lucky day!" Link says to himself cheerfully. "Well, excluding the part about my bird getting kidnapped and all."

Link carried on, slashing away at some more Keese and getting caught by some Chuchus, which got their slime all over his boots. He kicked them off and then vertically sliced them with his sword. Then he sprinted onwards and kicked up with his feet, grabbing onto a ledge and climbing up.

Now Link could see light up ahead, an exit out of the cave! He could feel his bird very well now!

Link started making his way towards the light. "Finally I can get out of this dark, wet cave!" He told himself.

He was about to hurry on through the exit, but something caught his eye. He turned and saw a long puddle of water on the ground, but what was in it shocked him.

He saw a young man lying in the water!

Link hurried on over, concerned and perplexed. He sheathed his sword and bent down next to the guy. Link examined him closely. This guy has some bluish, short hair and is dressed in blue. He is wearing a cape, a tiara, and has a sheath with him and there is a sword inside!

This guy definitely didn't look like he came from Skyloft, Link decided. He has never seen anyone quite like him before, which was very confusing.

Link poked the guy's cheek, wondering if he was still alive.

"Hey…?" Link muttered to him. "Hey, are you alright?"

The guy stirred a bit, his face twisting up into a frown.

Link sighed in relief, glad that the mysterious young man was still alive! He didn't want anyone dead!

Link poked the guy's cheek again, raising an eyebrow. "Could you wake up? I have some questions that really need answering. Plus, I don't have that much time right now. You need to get out of this cave. It's really dangerous." Link tells him seriously.

The guy finally opened his eyes and stared up at Link, frowning in complete bafflement. It seemed as though the guy recognized him or something, which was pretty strange to Link!

"L-Link…?" The person whispered in disbelief and confusion.

Shocked, Link took a scoot back, staring apprehensively at this strange person who he found lying in the Waterfall Cave. "How do you know my name? Who are you? Where did you come from? How did you get here?" He questioned him, demanding answers right then and there.

The guy got to his hands and knees, wincing in pain. He brought a hand up to his head, feeling a huge headache coming.

"I…my name is Marth…" The guy responded, giving Link a long look. "No…you aren't Link. You look like him, but you aren't Link."

"My name _is_ Link, but you must have me mixed up with someone else," Link tells him, narrowing his eyes. "Where'd you come from?"

"I'm a prince. I came from another universe, but I'm actually from somewhere else…" Marth answered, sounding very perplexed. Then his eyes widened and he looked around frantically. "Daisy! Sonic! Roy! Ike! Toon Link! Amy Rose!" He shouted suddenly, eyes wide.

"Hey, calm down, pal," Link grabbed Marth's arm and helped him to his feet. "I'm not sure if I believe you that you came from another universe, but there's no other explanation, right? So I _have_ to believe you. I'm guessing the names you just shouted out are your friends, right?"

Marth nodded, leaning against Link and feeling very weak and light headed. He felt so very baffled too.

What happened to his friends? Where was he? What in the world was going on?

"You can explain everything to me right now, but make it quick," Link tells him. "I'm kind of in a hurry. I'll help you out as soon as I'm done with everything today. I'll help you search for your friends. Plus, I'll help you get back home. Does that sound okay?"

Marth sighed, but nodded. Then he began to explain everything, starting from the very beginning.

Link listened to every word and nodded at certain parts. When Marth had finished, Link got this very thoughtful look on his face. "That's strange…" He muttered, thinking back to his strange dream. Could this all be related to his dream?

"I feel weak for some reason…" Marth mutters.

Link snapped out of it and nodded. "But you can walk, right?"

Marth just nodded.

"Alright, come on. Follow me. I still need to get my bird." Link tells him, heading towards the exit of the Waterfall Cave. He grabbed a couple of more Green Rupees and found two more Red Rupees. He put all of that into his wallet and ended up with 80 Rupees altogether!

"Your bird…?" Marth looked even more confused as he followed Link out of the cave and into the light. He winced at the light and looked around, eyes becoming very wide.

They were on some kind of floating island!

"Where in the world are we?" Marth breathed, looking around.

"We're in Skyloft, the home of many." Link responded, looking around for his Crimson Loftwing, walking around and searching. He saw a Bird Statue, but thought that he didn't need to save his progress just yet.

Marth looked down, the wind blowing at his cape and hair. They were really, _really_ high! "The void must've transported me here and the others…elsewhere," He whispered solemnly. "I hope they are alright."

Link gave the prince a sympathetic look. "Don't worry, your highness. I'm sure they're fine. Who knows? Maybe they're somewhere here on Skyloft. We'll have to look around when everything is through for today." Link tells him, turning away and continuing his search for his bird. He could feel his bird extremely well now.

Marth turned away from the edge and followed Link silently. He had no idea what to do, but to stick with Link.

Link suddenly stopped, whipping around and jogging back towards the Bird Statue. Marth watched him in curiosity and bafflement.

"What…are you doing?" Marth questioned him.

"I'm going to give this bird statue a short prayer to save my progress." Link answered nonchalantly, getting down on his knees and clasping his hands in front of him, bowing his head. He muttered a few words that went unheard by Marth. Then his progress was magically saved and he got to his feet.

"I don't understand…" Marth mumbled.

"Neither do I," Link responded. "Come on, let's go." He starts wending away, going onwards.

Marth follows him quietly.

Suddenly, they both stopped moving because there was the sound of Zelda's voice.

"Link!"

They both looked up and saw Zelda riding her Loftwing towards them. The giant bird landed beside them and she quickly hopped off, rushing towards Link with a smile on her face, but that smile was quickly replaced with perplexity as she looked over at Marth.

"L-Link…? Who is that?" Zelda questioned, becoming very wary. "I've never seen anyone like him on Skyloft before…he's definitely not from around here. Where'd he come from?"

"That's Prince Marth…" Link answered. "I found him inside of the cave."

"Just call me Marth," Marth responded with a sigh, looking over at Zelda and giving her a small smile. "Hello there."

"Hi…" Zelda muttered, examining him closely. "Where'd you come from?"

Marth was about to reply, but Zelda stopped him.

"Wait, there's no time for that!" She suddenly says, turning to look at Link and immediately ignoring Marth. "I was hoping I'd find you here," Zelda says to Link, her voice rushed. "I heard you'd gone searching for your bird around the waterfall, so I thought I'd fly around and help you look."

Marth removed his attention from Zelda and put it on the giant Loftwing, examining it thoughtfully. He was very intrigued by this creature. He wondered if everyone on this Skyloft had one of these.

"Thanks, Zelda." Link says gratefully with a nod of his head.

"How's your search going?" Zelda queried. "Any sign of your Loftwing?"

"Nope, not yet." Link answered.

"Oh no…" Zelda sighed. "Well, let's not lose hope yet. There's a place up ahead that Groose and his gang are always hanging around. Maybe we'll find something there!"

Suddenly, Zelda's eyes widened a bit as if she heard something. "Huh…?" She looked around. "Who…who's that?" She whispered. "Who's calling for me?"

Link gave her a really concerned look. "Zelda? Are you okay?" He asked her worriedly.

Zelda seemed to snap out of it and she turned back around to face him, smiling. "Oh, sorry, Link. I got distracted for a moment. Let's go!" She tells him with a nod. She looked over at Marth and saw that he was gently petting the feathers on her Loftwing. "Hey, you don't have a Loftwing, do you?"

Marth turned his head to look at her, letting his hand drop to his side. "No. No I don't."

"That's really odd. I wonder how you got here then?" Zelda spoke, but then shook her head. "It doesn't matter right now. Come on, both of you. Let's go now."

"Right." Link says.

"Okay…" Marth muttered.

Link starts jogging ahead, Marth and Zelda following close behind him. Zelda began to question Marth about certain things, like where he's from and how he became a prince and what he's like. Marth answered each and every question politely and with patience. Oddly enough, Zelda believed every word he told her and promised that she'd help search for his friends as well. Marth was very grateful for this.

Suddenly, they all stopped, Zelda running ahead and then stopping again, pointing a finger with a shocked expression on her face.

"Look! There he is!" She exclaimed.

Right there, right in front of them, was Link's Crimson Loftwing. It was trapped, wooden planks blocking his only way of escape. He jumped around, shrieking and flailing his wings about.

"No doubt about it. That's your Loftwing, Link!" Zelda tells Link with a nod of her head. She then runs on ahead.

Link and Marth quickly follow her.

"Don't worry, buddy! I'm here!" Link shouts, unsheathing his sword. He slashed at the wooden planks, trying to free his bird. He did a spin slash, which consumed all of his stamina. Link immediately slumped forward, breathing heavily and waiting for his stamina to refill.

Marth went over calmly and placed a hand onto Link's shoulder. Startled, Link looked up at Marth, frowning and wondering what he wanted.

"Allow me…" He insists.

Still tired, Link moved aside, waving a hand and gesturing for him to go on ahead.

Marth nods and then flawlessly unsheathed his sword, Falchion. He expertly twirled it in his hand once before slashing away at the ropes binding the wooden planks together, easily freeing Link's bird.

Link stood there, dumbstruck.

Zelda started snickering from beside him. "Wow, that's all you had to do, Link. What do you know?" She giggled.

Link narrowed his eyes at her. "Oh, hush!"

Marth quickly moved out of the way as Link's Loftwing came out of his containment. It looked around happily at the three of them, letting out soft shrieks.

The Crimson Loftwing spread his wings out and then shrieked loudly in delight. Then he lowered his head towards Link's level, happily gazing at him.

Link chuckled a little and gently petted his bird's large beak. Then he ran his fingers through the bird's feathers on his cheek affectionately, very happy to see his bird safe.

Then the Loftwing flapped his giant wings, taking off into the sky. Link quickly followed over, laughing a bit.

Zelda watched with a smile on her face. Marth just watched curiously, frowning a bit.

Link stopped at a ledge of Skyloft, watching his Crimson Loftwing soar around through the clouds, experiencing his freedom. Link watched with a big smile on his face, feeling his bird's excitement.

Zelda came up from beside him, leaving Marth behind. "We should hurry, Link," Zelda tells him softly. "Now that your Loftwing is free, you should fly to the ceremony…"

Link looked at her. "Yeah…"

Zelda then got a worried expression on her features. "But before you go, I have to ask you something."

Link got concerned. "What is it?"

"I…" Zelda began slowly. "I heard this voice a few moments ago. Did you hear it too?"

"No…I didn't." Link replied quietly.

"It's been happening a lot lately. It's the strangest feeling…Almost like someone is calling out to me." Zelda explained very quietly, staring off into the clouds.

Marth stayed behind, a deep frown on his features. He was still trying to figure out why that horrible void sent him here. Was he here for a bigger purpose? Was his friends here for a bigger purpose as well? Will he ever find them? How did Skyloft come about? What in the world was going on? Marth decided that he'd be more settled if he knew where Sonic, Roy, Ike, Daisy, Toon Link, and Sonic's friend were.

"Have you ever wondered what's beneath the clouds?" Zelda suddenly questioned Link.

"I wonder about that all the time, Zelda." Link answered her in a quiet voice, staring off into the clouds as well.

"Some say that it's an empty, barren place, or even that there's nothing at all down below, but I just have this feeling that they're wrong," Zelda tells Link, looking downwards towards the thick clouds below. "Some of Father's old texts talks about a place called the **surface**. The old tales describe a whole world under there, far more vast than Skyloft!"

Link started to frown, thinking about her words.

Zelda continued on, "The thing is, no one's ever been down there to see it, and our Loftwings won't fly through the cloud barrier."

Marth had begun to listen in on their conversation, knowing it was rude, but also finding it highly interesting. He started to get some kind of idea. Could his friends be down there somewhere if they are not on Skyloft? It was a very big possibility!

"…But I can't help imagining the wild things that might be waiting below. Someday, I want to see for myself." Zelda whispers.

"Me too, Zelda, me too…" Link whispered back.

"You'd come with me, won't you?" Zelda questioned him without looking at him. "You'd come with me if I were to see it one day?"

"Of course, Zelda." Link answered quietly, smiling a little.

"Thank you." Zelda smiled too.

They stood there in complete silence for a couple of minutes before Zelda broke it, finally realizing something.

She turns to look at him. "Oh, sorry, Link. We don't have time to talk! Let's get going," She tells him. "Look, your bird's waiting for you. Just leap off the edge and whistle for your bird. Don't worry about falling. Your bird will catch you for sure this time!"

Link nodded. "Right!"

"But wait, what about Marth?" Zelda questioned, turning her head to look in Marth's direction, seeming a bit worried about him.

Link looks. "He doesn't have a Loftwing…"

"What should we do?" Zelda questioned. "We'll be pushing our birds too hard if we carry him, you know."

"It's alright," Marth spoke up, hearing them. "I'll go back through the cave. I can fight. You just do what you have to do and then come find me afterwards. I'll be fine."

Link and Zelda both gave him concerned looks. "Are you sure?" Link asked him.

Marth nodded, drawing Falchion again. "I'm sure."

"Once you're out, if you can find the plaza here on Skyloft, go there. If not, I'll come find you," Link tells him with a nod of his head. "Oh, and if you happen to find the plaza, introduce yourself to everyone and make sure to tell them of your situation. They'll understand."

"Right." Marth says before turning and heading off back into the cave.

Link looked at Zelda and then turned, sprinting off of the edge and calling for his bird. His bird immediately came and he landed on it, feeling extremely happy once he did.

Zelda leapt off of the edge and called her bird with a sharp whistle. Her Loftwing came quickly and she landed on to it, flying beside Link with a huge smile on her features.

"Shall we head on to the ceremony?" Link exclaimed loudly so Zelda could hear him through the wind as they flew around in the air on their Loftwings.

"Yeah, but let's run your bird through the basics just to make sure he's not hurt!" Zelda called back from her Loftwing with a nod of her head. "Then we can go!"

Link sighed, but nodded. "Alright!"

Link started, guiding his Loftwing through the sky and running him through the easy basics. His Crimson Loftwing did all of this flawlessly and without any difficulty. Link began to wonder why Zelda was so worried for in the first place. His Loftwing is fine!

"So how's he handling?" Zelda called out suddenly from behind Link, still on her purple Loftwing. "Do you think he's flying all right?" She questioned him in concern and curiosity.

Link turned his head a little, flashed her a smile, and nodded. "Yep!"

"Well, that's a huge relief!" Zelda sighed, giving Link a relieved grin. "It's a good thing he's not hurt! Whew!"

"You're telling me!" Link talked.

"Mhm," Zelda nodded. "My father and the others are probably worried about your bird, so let's go give them the good news!"

Zelda patted her bird's head and immediately took off quickly towards Skyloft. Link and his Loftwing were right behind her, darting towards Skyloft like a wild bullet.

Once there, they leapt off of their Loftwings and gracefully landed on their feet. Zelda immediately turned towards Link, a bright and happy smile dancing along her features.

"Your Loftwing really is amazing," She commented. "Especially considering everything the poor guy has been through this morning."

Link nodded. "He's a strong one!"

"I know!" Zelda sighs. Then, she gives him a look. "I'm going to fly back and tell Father what happened. I'm sure you'll be victorious in this ceremony, Link!" She says before darting off.

Link watched her go with a small smile on his face. His thoughts started to travel back to Marth. He began to wonder if he got out of the Waterfall Cave safe and sound.

Suddenly, he saw him!

Marth was walking towards him, a frown present on his features. Link met him halfway, walking over to him and giving him a small smile.

"Hey! I see you made it out all right!" Link tells him.

Marth nodded. "Yes. I did."

"I just know everybody's going to be asking a dozen questions about you!" Link sighed with shake of his head. "So get ready to explain everything. After I'm finished with this ceremony I'll be able to help you search for your friends. I'm sure Zelda will be more than happy to help as well, along with Owlen, Horwell, and Zelda's father!"

"Indeed," Marth spoke. "But there is something that bothers me a little…" He trailed.

"What?" Link asked.

"There is also a person whose name is 'Zelda' back where I came from. I find it a bit strange," Marth muttered. "This is probably some kind of other dimension or something."

"Possibly…" Link says quietly. He found that kind of strange too. There was another him and another Zelda in some other dimension? That was extremely odd to him, but he accepted it!

"Well, well, if it isn't Link and his weirdo friend!"

Link whirled around, immediately seeing Groose approaching him and Marth. Link became very contemptuous and just wanted Groose to go away, but he knew that wasn't happening.

Marth just stared at Groose in confusion, wondering about Groose's…silly hairstyle. However, he felt quite insulted about what Groose had referred to him by. But, Marth kept his cool and didn't say anything.

"What do you want, Groose?" Link growled at him, giving him a very dark glare.

Groose crossed his big arms over his chest and stared Link down. "Word around the plaza is you found that dumb bird of yours."

Marth began to assume that this was an enemy of Link, since all that came out of this Groose character's mouth were insults. Marth noticed that two more strange looking people came up from behind Groose.

"Yeah, I found my bird. Too bad for you." Link tells him, folding his arms and smirking in triumph.

"Well, that's just great," Groose grumbled in irritation, obviously not concerned about who Marth was or anything. However, his two goony friends, Strich and Cawlin, were staring at Marth curiously and wonderingly. "Because you and your dumb bird can't tell time, all the prerace warm-ups me and the guys did were for nothin'. Now I'm all stiff."

Link narrowed his eyes at Groose in ire. "Stop calling my bird dumb!" He growled at him.

Groose only rolled his eyes.

Marth suddenly stepped up, giving Groose a calm look, but his eyes shown irksome. "I really don't appreciate the way you're speaking to Link," He tells him calmly. "Now will you please just go away?"

"Who said you could talk, girly boy?" Groose questioned him, laughing at the tiara Marth wore on his head.

"_Girly boy_…?" Marth's hand reached for the hilt of his blade, but Link stopped him, placing a hand onto his arm and shaking his head.

Groose smirked evilly at them and folded his arms. "We've been waiting forever for the race to start, and they delay it for you?" He snorted, looking a bit contemptuous. "I don't get it. The big flake gets special treatment?"

Link didn't speak, but growled furiously, his hand still on Marth's arm. Marth, who was beside him, didn't talk either, but was giving Groose a very cold look, his fingers drumming on the hilt of Falchion.

Groose suddenly got a very angry look on his face and he unfolded his arms, shouting, "You're almost a man, and yet you still can't seem to go anywhere without Zelda!"

Link felt seriously insulted by his words and took a step forward towards Groose, ready to punch the living daylights out of him.

"I bet you can't even decide what to have for lunch on your own, huh?" Groose continued on. "And don't think we haven't noticed the smug looks. 'Ooh, Zelda and I are BEST friends. We go everywhere together.' Ugh!" He frowned in disgust.

Link suddenly smirked. "It's not my fault she likes me better than you." He tells him snidely.

Groose growled in serious anger. "…You think you're pretty suave, don't you?" He asked.

Link was about to answer with something nasty, but Groose cut him off.

"Well? Don't you?!"

Marth removed his eyes from Groose and let Link look at him instead. Marth could no longer stand to look at Groose. Instead, he let his eyes rest on Cawlin and Strich, seeing them chatting to each other.

"Groose has been going on forever about how he's gonna be the one to be with Zelda. He's really got his pompadour in a ruffle about her!" said Cawlin, making gestures with his hands and smiling in amusement.

"Der her her." Strich snickered, bringing a hand up to his mouth in hopes of covering up the snicker.

"I hate to break it to you, but today's the day I bust up this adorable little fantasyland you're living in," Groose talked to Link, shaking his head and looking all smug and whatnot. "Zelda's playing the role of the goddess at today's ceremony, and I'm gonna be the one to claim that **Sailcloth**."

"We'll see." Link hissed as a retort.

"Shut up!" Groose hissed back and then continued, "When I heard she made it herself, man, no way was I gonna let some scrawny clown snatch that prize from me."

"Who're you calling a scrawny clown?!" Link hollered furiously at him and was about to go over and attack Groose, but Marth stopped _him_ this time while shaking his head.

"He's not worth it…" Math muttered.

Link huffed, but crossed his arms.

Groose turned away from them, hugging himself and chuckling dreamily and gleefully. "Oh yes, that Sailcloth—Zelda's Sailcloth—will be mine! Duh huh huh…"

Link's face twisted up into a look of contempt after hearing this. No way was he going to let Groose get Zelda's Sailcloth!

"Oh, man, I bet she was thinking about me when she was stitching it…" Groose went on, still chuckling goofily.

"Ha! Yeah right." Link sarcastically said, but he went unheard by Groose.

"Yup, I can see it now," Groose continued. "First, I win the big race, and then Zelda and I finish the ceremony together on the statue. Just the two of us…" He sighed dreamily, nodding his head in confirmation. "It'll be our special moment alone. Nobody is stopping me and Zelda from having our moment. Oh, it's so real I can…I can see it…"

Marth wondered why a disrespectful cretin like Groose would be interested in a sweet and kind girl like Zelda.

"Duh…Duh huh huh huh! Oh yeah…" Groose went on, chuckling creepily and goofily.

Suddenly, Strich and Cawlin got all frantic and began waving their arms about, seeing someone approaching.

"Groose! Pssst, Groose!" Cawlin whispered urgently. "Behind you! Right behind you!"

"WHAT?!" Groose snapped at them viciously. "Can't you two see I'm in the middle of…" Groose turns around and immediately jumps in shock and fear. "GAH!"

Zelda stood there between Link and Marth, a frown dancing on her features. She put her hands on her hips and growled, "Care to explain just what you meant by 'our special moment alone'?"

Link began snickering quietly, covering his mouth with his hand and trying to block them out, but it wasn't working. On the other side of Zelda, Marth was smirking a little in satisfaction.

"I…uh, nothing big, really," Groose spoke quietly. "Just…Just…" Then, he suddenly smiled and crossed his arms, looking over at Link. "Link! Yeah, I was just telling my buddy here how glad I was he found that red bird of his. Boy, am I looking forward to a fair race!"

Marth stared at Groose, appalled. He couldn't believe Groose was just going to lie to Zelda's face when she heard almost everything. Link felt the same way too, giving Groose a dark look.

Groose quickly continued, looking over at Zelda. "Anyhow, later, Zelda. Look for me during the race. I'll be the one pulling off all the dangerous moves." He tells Zelda and strolls away, his chest all puffed out and trying to look cool and whatnot.

"Hey, Groose! Wait up!" Groose's goony pals exclaimed, quickly following their leader.

Zelda sighed with a shake of her head, turning around to look at Link and Marth. "Did you hear that guy? A fair race? Yeah, the chances of that happening are just about less than zero."

"Tell me about it!" Link rolled his eyes.

Zelda then noticed Marth and gave him a kind smile. "Marth! I see you've made your way out of the Waterfall Cave safely. That's good to know!" She tells him.

Marth returns her smile and nods. "Yeah."

"Oh, and don't worry about explaining things to my father and everyone," Zelda started again. "I've already told them of your dreadful predicament. My Father has agreed to help you out as well! Don't worry, we'll find your friends!"

"Thank you, Zelda." Marth says gratefully, bowing a bit.

Zelda's smile widened and she turned back around to look at Link. "Don't let those fools get you down, Link!" She talks to him. "Just get out there and fly the best you can!"

Link nods. "Right. Thanks, Zelda."

"You're welcome," Zelda grins. "I know you've got these guys beat, and deep down I think you do too."

"Yeah!" Link nodded again.

Zelda laughed, "That's the spirit, Link! Trust me—you can win this."

"So what is this ceremony all about?" Marth questioned, getting really curious now.

Zelda and Link were both about to answer his question, but there was the sound of a bell being rung and then a voice.

"The Wing Ceremony will now begin! Participating students, please assemble!"

"Oh, looks like it's race time," Zelda tells Link, moving her eyes over to him. "Good luck, Link!"

"I have faith in you." Marth says to Link with a nod of his head.

Link gave them both a smile. "Thanks, guys!" He then turned and hurried on over to Owlan and Gaepora, who were both standing near the ledge at the plaza on Skyloft. There was a golden colored Loftwing at Owlan's side and was standing there, staring straight ahead.

Link stood beside Cawlin, Groose, and Strich. They were the only four competing in the ceremony for some reason.

"Your attention, please," Owlan spoke to the four of them. "At last we are ready to begin the **Wing Ceremony**," He put his hands behind his back and looked towards Link. "I was beginning to worry that we'd have to proceed without Link, but luckily that is no longer a concern. I'm glad you could all make it. Before we start, I'll explain the rules for today's competition."

Back with Zelda and Marth, Marth was listening closely to what Owlan was saying to the competitors, wanting to hear every detail.

"I have attached a small statuette to this bird, who I will then release to the skies," Owlan explained, gesturing towards the golden Loftwing. "On my signal, dash and dive off the ledge. Once you are in the air, mount your Loftwing. Remember to **call your bird **promptly with a whistle once you dive off the edge. Whoever catches the bird and claims the statuette will be this year's champion."

Link listened intently to the rules and wasn't feeling nervous at all. He was quite confident that he'd win.

"Those are the rules," Owlan said. "Simple enough, I should think, but do you need to hear them again?"

"Nope!" All four of them exclaimed simultaneously.

"Excellent," said Owlan. "As you well know, today's champion will graduate to the next class, bringing him one step closer to knighthood. He will also receive a **gift** from the young woman chosen to play the role of the **goddess** in this year's ritual. Today is a special day for many reasons, but it is also the 25th anniversary of our fine institution."

And Owlan _went on and on_, "To celebrate the occasion, today's champion shall also receive his gift high **atop the Statue of the Goddess**. I hear the young woman performing the role of the goddess this year has crafted the gift herself. And as you all well know, the role of the goddess this year will be performed by…The lovely Zelda!"

Zelda giggled happily at that, smiling at everyone cheerfully, happy to be playing the role of the goddess this year.

Groose started chuckling goofily again after hearing this, having some fantasies again…

Link smirked after hearing Owlan's words, looking over and giving Zelda a knowing wink. Zelda winked back at him, knowing he'd win this for sure.

"Let's see your finest flying out there. Show me just how hard you've been practicing," Owlan tells them. "Also, I want to see a good, clean flying. Anyone caught interfering with other riders will answer to me!"

"THAT GOES DOUBLE FOR YOU, GROOSE!" Zelda's father, Gaepora, howled suddenly in a very booming voice.

Groose jumped in surprised and fear.

The golden Loftwing suddenly took up into the skies, flapping its elegant and beautiful wings.

"All right, gentlemen, line up," Owlan says to them. "At my command, the competition will begin!"

The four competitors quickly lined up in front of the ledge, ready to take off and get a good start.

Owlan grinned and then shouted out, "Go!"

Link, Groose, Cawlin, and Strich all took off, dashing pretty quickly towards the edge. They jumped off of the ledge and then rapidly called for their birds, easily mounting them.

They all took off towards the golden Loftwing that had the statuette.

"All right! Let's do this!" Link tells his Crimson Loftwing cheerfully, looking extremely determined.

Link's Loftwing quickly zoomed passed all the others, heading straight for the golden Loftwing.

Link thought it was kind of easy, reaching the bird so quickly. He reached a hand out towards the statuette, trying to grasp it.

Unfortunately, Groose decided to ruin things!

"Hey!" Groose shouted from atop his Loftwing, flying right next to Link and his bird. "Don't you know this is my day to get all the glory?"

And then, suddenly, without warning, Groose and his Loftwing mercilessly rammed into Link and his Crimson Loftwing, almost knocking Link right off!

The golden Loftwing immediately flew away from them.

Groose started laughing evilly after this as he flew off on his Loftwing, quickly going after the statuette.

Link righted himself atop his bird and was about to go after Groose, but Cawlin, who was behind him, stopped him!

"Yeah, you heard him! Let's see how you fly with egg on your face." Cawlin lifted his hand, hurling an egg at Link, cackling like a scarecrow.

Link turned to send a nasty retort his way, but the egg that Cawlin had thrown collided with his face and he lost control of his bird. Link let out a yelp of surprise as he slipped off of his Crimson Loftwing, immediately falling down while Cawlin left to go after the statuette, still cackling like a warlock.

As Link fell, he used his hands to wipe the nasty egg off of his face, his face twisting up into a look of disgust. "Well, I see they like to play dirty!" Link hollered and then quickly called for his bird, who came immediately at his master's call.

Link mounted his bird in determination and pointed ahead as they flew. "Go! Full speed ahead!" He shouted.

Link's bird let out a determined shriek and immediately darted upwards, going towards the golden Loftwing that had the statuette. Then the Crimson Loftwing dived downwards at an amazing speed, which allowed them to reach the golden Loftwing in no time!

Groose, Cawlin, and Strich stared in horror, as Link reached out to grab the statuette once more.

Link curled his fingers around the thing and then held it up victoriously, grinning in complete triumph. "I got the Bird Statuette!" He declared gleefully. "It proves my victory today!"

Link's bird gave out a soft shriek, sounding satisfied.

"Wait till Zelda sees this!" Link boasted, snickering at the horrid look on Groose's face.

Then he started making his way back towards Skyloft, laughing the whole way.


	5. THE HORRIBLE EVENT AND THE CHASE

**A HORRIBLE EVENT AND THE CHASE**

* * *

Link waved the Bird Statuette excitedly from atop his Crimson Loftwing, a huge smile dancing on his features as they both headed back to Skyloft. "I did it! I won! I knew I'd win! I knew it!" He called out in great glee and triumph, looking incredibly cheerful.

"Link!"

At the sound of Zelda's melodic voice, Link stopped his cheering and looked upwards, surprised to see Zelda leaping off of the edge and falling downwards with a big smile on her face and while holding the golden harp. From at the top, Marth had rushed over, looking downwards to see Zelda falling.

Link held out his arms for Zelda, catching her in his arms before she fell beneath the clouds below Skyloft. Zelda landed atop Link's Loftwing, in Link's arms.

From up on the ledge, Math let out a sigh of relief, seeing that Link caught Zelda safely.

On top of Link's Loftwing, Zelda had her head bowed.

Link began to wonder if she was okay, giving her a really concerned look. "Hey, Zelda, you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" He questioned her.

Zelda suddenly looked up, grinning brightly. "Don't worry—I'm fine!" She answers him happily through a delightful laugh.

Link chuckled and shook his head. "You're crazy, jumping like that! What if I didn't have enough time to catch you, silly?" He asked her in a very playful tone, still chuckling in amusement.

Zelda laughed, "I knew you'd catch me! Even if you didn't have enough time to do so, I could've just called my bird!"

"You've got a point!" said Link.

"Great flying, Link!" Zelda praised, looking at him in joyfulness. "Congratulations!"

Link gave her a happy smile, as Zelda's Loftwing appeared beside his own while they headed up towards the Statue of the Goddess.

"Now we'd better get on with the ceremony!" Zelda comments with a nod of her head.

Link nodded in agreement.

**[Ten minutes later]**

Link and Zelda were atop the Statue of the Goddess, ready to finish the ceremony. Zelda stood there with her back to Link, thinking it all through for a moment before turning around and holding her hand towards Link, their Loftwings flying around above them.

"Link, hand me that Bird Statuette you grabbed in the race," Zelda commands him. "I must offer it to the goddess."

Link nodded and handed over the Bird Statuette.

Zelda smiled and took it, turning around and placing it into a small slot in the giant statue. She stared at it for a couple of minutes before backing up a bit, taking out her golden harp.

She sighed softly and closed her eyes, bringing her fingers up to the strings and starting to play the harp, a wonderful melody.

Link watched as Zelda's fingers gracefully strummed across the strings of the beautiful harp, the melody coming out soft and harmoniously.

When Zelda finished the small tune, she put the harp away and turned around to face Link, holding out her left hand.

Link placed his right hand in hers and got down on one knee, bowing his head in front of her.

Zelda shut her eyes and spoke, "Great goddess, guiding light and protector of our people, grant us your blessing and mercy as I act in your stead during this ceremony,"

"**Valiant youth who grasped victory at the celebration of the bird folk…In accordance with the old ways..."** Zelda continued calmly. "**I now bestow the blessings of the goddess upon you**."

Zelda then went silent and her hands reached behind her, untying the Sailcloth that was over her shoulders. She then reached in front of her, lifting the Sailcloth off of herself.

Link finally looked up, seeing her do this.

Zelda gave him a warm smile and folded the white cloth, handing it over to Link and talking, "**The blessings of the goddess drift down from the heavens aloft a sail, which I now pass on to you**."

Link silently reached over, gently taking the Sailcloth from Zelda's hands and holding it up with a big smile on his face. "I got the **Sailcloth**!" He announced cheerfully. He then brought it back down, his smile softening a little. "It…smells nice too…" He whispered to himself.

Zelda brought a fist to her cheek, smiling at Link in amusement. "Link! Quit goofing. This is supposed to be a sacred ritual, remember?" She tells him, giggling a little. She then looked thoughtful. "You know, they say the goddess gave the Sailcloth to her **chosen hero** long ago."

"Is that so?" Link looked thoughtful too now.

Zelda nodded. "Yeah. But, of course, the one you're holding isn't the same one. I've been working hard to finish making this Sailcloth in time to give it to today's champion."

Link looked at her.

"I'm really glad I got to give it to you, Link," Zelda said softly with a small smile on her face. "Make sure you take good care of it, okay?"

Link gave her a nod and a big smile. "Don't worry, Zelda. I'll take care of it for as long as I live." He tells her sincerely.

Zelda's smile got bigger. "That's great."

"Yep." Link spoke.

Everything was quiet for a few minutes, but then Zelda broke it, "Thanks for making it up here to do this with me today like you promised, Link…"

"You're welcome, Zelda," Link talked. "I always keep my promises, especially the promises I make to you."

Zelda let out a small laugh, then started to slowly approach him, putting her hands behind her back and looking downwards as if she were shy or something. "Now we really should finish up this ritual…" Then she looks up at him. "You…do know what happens at the end, right?"

Link had an idea, but didn't want to voice it, so he just said, "Nope!"

Zelda put a finger to her chin, looking a bit confused. "Really? Huh. I thought you would've figured it out by now."

"Well…I didn't…" Link replied with a shrug.

Zelda suddenly got very close to them, almost to the point where their noses were barely touching. Link leaned back a little, shocked and wondering what Zelda was going to do.

_Is she…going to kiss me? Oh boy…_ Link thought nervously, his eyes getting really big.

However, he was surprised when Zelda smiled brightly, pushing him around so he was facing the edge of the statue.

"You have to jump off the statue!" She announced cheerfully.

"Ah…" Link sighed in relief. It wasn't like he _didn't_ want to kiss her; it's just that he wasn't sure if he _wanted_ her to.

"Look down," Zelda orders him. "See that **big**, **round design** on the courtyard below?"

Link obeys, looking downwards and seeing the design on the ground in the courtyard below. He nodded. "Yeah, I see it, Zelda." He replies.

"Good!" Zelda praised. "To finish the ceremony, you need to drop down right into the center of it! Leap off the edge here. Right before you hit the ground, open up your Sailcloth!"

"Huh?" Link looked a little worried about this.

"Just how brave are you?" Zelda questioned him, raising an eyebrow curiously. "If you were really fearless, you'd wait until the last second to use your Sailcloth. So, ready to jump?"

"Wait…I'm not really sure about this…HEY!"

Zelda suddenly pushed Link and he went toppling over like a rock, flailing his arms about and yelling out in shock and fear. Zelda only grinned and watched him, waiting for him to open up the Sailcloth.

Link was still falling towards the design in the ground. He moved over so he was right in the center of it, then he held up the Sailcloth, opening it and it immediately slowed his fall. He softly landed on his feet and sighed heavily, putting it away.

He then turned around, hearing the sound of a Loftwing's wings flapping. He saw Zelda on top of her Loftwing, heading towards him. She hopped off of her Loftwing and ran over to him happily, clasping her hands out in front of her.

"That was perfect! You're amazing, Link!" Zelda compliments him cheerfully with a big smile on her face.

Link stared at her for a few seconds before smiling gently at her. Zelda noticed that this smile was different from the others and her own smile softened and she gazed at him fondly.

Link's Crimson Loftwing landed right behind him, standing straight and tall, towering over his master.

Zelda started talking again, "You know, Link, seeing as how you won today…" She lowered her clasped hands.

Link listened curiously.

"And with the weather being so nice…" Zelda sounded shy all of a sudden and she kept looking in other places.

Link wondered what she was going to ask him. "Yes?"

"You think maybe you'd like to, you know, go fly around the clouds together?" Zelda finally questioned him, a very hopeful look in her eyes.

Link was thinking about going to see Marth and stuff, but decided that could wait. He'd love to fly around with his best friend on such a nice and warm day! How could he decline something like this?

"Sure, Zelda!" Link replied.

Zelda smiled happily. "Really? Oh, thanks, Link! You're the best!" She tells him.

Link's cheeks were dusted a light red, but he smiled anyway and quickly got on to his Loftwing while Zelda mounted her purple Loftwing. They soon took off into the skies, soaring dandily.

Zelda flew right beside Link in contentment while Link rode with a smile playing on his lips.

Zelda suddenly looked over at Link, calling out to him, "…Link? Hey, Link!"

Hearing Zelda's voice, Link looked upwards and then turned his head to gaze at Zelda. "Huh? Yeah? What is it, Zel?" He asked her, using a nickname he sometimes called her.

Zelda's face broke out into a fond grin. "Today was amazing. Watching you win the race and performing the ritual together…I'll always remember this," She sincerely tells him. "It really was wonderful!"

Link smiled at her. "It sure was!"

Zelda looked like she wanted to tell Link something very important, but also looked a little shy. "You know…Link…"

"Yeah?" Link got curious again as they flew.

"There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about…!" Zelda voiced out loud.

Hearing the seriousness in her tone, Link moved his Loftwing a little closer to hers. "What is it, Zelda?" He asked her.

Zelda was about to reply, but there was suddenly a bright flash and a huge gust of wind. Zelda let out a started wail, shutting her eyes. When she opened them she looked at Link and then what was in front of her. "What is that?"

Right there in front of them, there was a huge, dark tornado rapidly swirling towards them.

Their Loftwings immediately began to freak out, shrieking loudly and flapping their wings rapidly.

"Whoa!" Link wrapped his arms around his Crimson Loftwing's neck, trying to calm him down.

Zelda gasped out in fear, holding onto the feathers of her Loftwing, her eyes wide. "What's going on?!" She screamed out in fright.

Suddenly, the tornado touched Zelda and she was ripped off of her Loftwing like a ragdoll. She and her Loftwing went falling downwards and Zelda screamed out, reaching her hand out towards Link. "Ahhh! Link!"

"ZELDA!" Link hollered out in panic and fear, telling his Loftwing to go after her. His Loftwing charged downwards towards the hideous tornado thing, but Link was immediately ripped off of his Loftwing just like Zelda had from her own.

Link yelled out as he flew backwards at rapid speed while his Loftwing blasted off elsewhere in the sky.

Everything soon went black…

**[Elsewhere]**

Link felt himself falling slowly into a never ending darkness, his eyes shut tight and his limbs limp.

And then, he suddenly heard that strange voice from his dream, the unique and odd one.

"_**Link…**_?"

Link finally opened his eyes and was surprised to see a bright light above him with a strange, yet beautiful being floating there.

"_**I am waiting for you and your companions**_." The strange being spoke again to him.

Link was so perplexed now. "What…? Who are you? What's going on…? Where's…Zelda…?" He whispered weakly.

"_**The time has come for you to awaken**_," The odd being talked again, ignoring all of his questions. "_**You and your companions are vital to a mission of great importance**_."

Link listened, but was still so confused. He and his 'companions' were vital to a mission of great importance? What in the world was going on? What was he supposed to do?

"_**Link…**_"

Suddenly, Zelda was above him, staring sadly down at him. Link couldn't tell if she were falling down or if _he_ was falling down.

He assumed that she was falling and he was falling with her. His eyes widened and he thrust a hand out towards her. "Zelda! Take my hand! Zelda!" He cried out.

Zelda couldn't reach his hand and continued to fall down, screaming as she fell into the mouth of the horrible creature he had seen in his dream.

**[…]**

Link sat upright in his bed, letting out a gasp and sweating uncontrollably. His eyes were huge and panicked. When he realized that he had only been dreaming he let out a shaky sigh, looking down.

"…Ah, you're awake."

Startled, Link turned his head to see Gaepora, Zelda's father, in the room with him.

"Sir?" Link was confused. "What…what happened?"

"When your Loftwing carried you back, you were limp and unconscious," Gaepora responded, walking towards him. "I feared the worst. Fortunately, you don't appear to have any serious injuries. For that much we can be grateful."

Link wasn't happy at all that he was alright. He turned his head to look way from him, remembering that Zelda was _not_ okay. He blamed himself for not being able to save his best friend. He knew something bad happened to her. What if she were dead? He would never be able to forgive himself.

"But, Link…" Gaepora spoke again, sounding very concerned now. "Where's Zelda? She was with you, was she not?"

Link did not respond.

Gaepora started to get even more concerned and worried now, he held out his hands. "…What's happened to my daughter?" He questioned Link.

Suddenly, the door to the room opened and the two of them turned their heads towards it, seeing Marth poke his head inside, staring at them in concern and wonderment.

"Is it…okay if I come in?" He asked.

"Sure, Marth…" Link mumbled, looking away from him.

Marth slowly stepped into the room, gently shutting the door behind him. He really wanted to know what happened to Zelda too.

Link looked at them both and began to explain all of what happened, waving his hands around and making gestures.

"A black tornado, you say?" Gaepora spoke after Link finished talking. "Hmm. That was no ordinary storm." He turned away from Link, closing his eyes and looking thoughtful, but also extremely worried for his daughter.

Link suddenly began to move, swinging his legs out of the bed and hurriedly tying his boots on. He _had_ to start looking for Zelda!

Marth suddenly stopped him, putting a hand on his shoulder and shaking his head. "You must not push yourself. You're still recovering." He tells him quietly, looking a bit concerned.

Link stopped, looking up at him. Then he sighed and looked down, placing his hands on to his knees. "Fine…"

Marth backed off and nodded.

"Tell me, when you saw Zelda today, did anything about her seem…off?" Gaepora suddenly questioned Link.

"Now that you mention it…she was acting a bit strange," Link responded quietly. "She was talking about the surface and what it would be like down there, saying she wanted to see it someday. She also claimed to have heard someone calling out to her."

Gaeopra sighed. "I see. She was talking about the **surface** then?"

Link nodded his head. "Also…I've been having these strange dreams. Something keeps telling me that it's time for me to awaken and that I and my companions are vital to a mission of great importance."

"And you've been having dreams about a 'great mission'?" Gaepora spoke quietly, looking thoughtful and folding his big arms over his chest. "How interesting…" He looked to be deep in thought now.

Marth was looking highly interested of this news. _Companions?_ He thought with a frown on his face. Then he looked at Link. "Did it say how many companions?" He questioned Link.

Link frowned in confusion. "Yeah…five of them."

Marth counted his friends that had got sucked into the void along with himself. It was seven altogether. That was strange. Could five of them be Link's companions or something?

"Hmmm…" Gaepora still looked lost in thought.

Link looked up at him. "Sir?"

Gaepora snapped out of it and placed his hand on to Link's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I was lost in thought there for a moment. It's all very strange, but I doubt there's much of a connection between these things." He talked.

"It's fine…" Link sighed, still worried about Zelda.

"I'm concerned for Zelda, but so long as she's with her Loftwing, I'm sure she'll be fine," Gaepora tells Link in assurance. "Either way, daybreak has yet to arrive. It would be very difficult to spot one girl and her bird in the dark of night. It would also be very dangerous."

Gaepora turned and started making his way towards the room door. But, before he could leave, he turned around to look at Link. "Rest now, Link," He tells him. "Zelda's going to be fine. She's out there alive. I know it."

Gaepora turned away and then opened the door, leaving the room and shutting the door softly behind him.

Link looked downwards, still upset about losing Zelda. He couldn't rest knowing she was out there injured somewhere!

He suddenly remembered that Marth was still in the room and remembered that his friends were missing also. He started to wonder if this was all connected somehow.

"What are you still doing here?" Link mumbled, looking away from Marth to look down again. "Don't you have your own room or something?"

Marth nodded grimly. "I do."

"Then leave…I want to be alone…" Link muttered, frowning.

Marth didn't move; he wanted to discuss things with Link. Marth was worried for Zelda as well, but he was more worried about his friends. It is dark now and they could be down at this 'surface' Zelda spoke of. They could be seriously hurt somewhere!

"I know you're worried about your friends," Link spoke up suddenly without looking at him. "I know I said I'd help you look for them, but now I have something more important to do. I have to search for Zelda. I have to find her. She's my main priority here."

"Then we shall work together in finding Zelda _and_ my friends," Marth declared with a nod of his head. "You said Zelda fell, right?"

Link's frown deepened. "Right…"

"Then, she must be somewhere on the surface," Marth explained to him quietly. "My friends could also be down there. I doubt they are here, because I have already looked around Skyloft for them while you were out. We have to get to the surface somehow, when it is morning."

Link sighed through his nose, but looked up at Marth, contemplating this. When he was done contemplating, he nodded his head. "You've got a point, Marth. Okay. We'll work together on finding our friends." He declared.

Marth smiled a little at this. "Thank you."

"No problem." Link muttered.

Marth was about to leave, but there was a strange noise from the other side of the door. Immediately, Link and Marth felt as if something was calling out to them.

Link got off of his bed, staring at the door. "Do you feel that?" He questioned Marth in a whisper.

Marth nodded slowly, looking at the door in a contemplative manner. "I feel it…something's calling us…" He whispered.

Link grabbed his sheath with the sword in it and put it on, walking towards the door and opening it. He stepped outside of his room and Marth was right behind him.

"There!" Marth exclaimed in a whisper, pointing at a staircase.

Link looked and was extremely shocked to see the being from his dreams floating above the staircase beautifully, watching them both.

"I've seen that thing in my dreams…" Link whispered.

Marth looked shocked. "You have?"

Link nodded and took a step towards it, but Marth caught his arm, stopping him warily.

"Link! Do you really think you should be following a strange creature like that?" He whispered at him hurriedly. "It could be a trap or something. You don't know what that thing is capable of."

Link jerked his arm free and gave him a look. "It's not threatening us. I think it wants us to follow it…" He whispered back at him and went on over to the staircase. Right when he did, the strange being floated backwards, away from him. Link continued following it, going up the stairs and to the second floor.

Marth sighed, but followed Link up the stairs and to the second floor. Whenever they got close to the being, it would move backwards and away from them. It finally reached the double doors that led outside and disappeared behind it.

Link and Marth looked at each other before pushing the doors open, going out into the night.

Link immediately started dashing after the being, going over to the wooden stairs that led up to the courtyard where the Statue of Goddess was. He picked up a Stamina Fruit before going up the wooden stairs.

Marth was right beside him, breathing a little heavily and watching Link devour the green, juicy fruit. "What is that?" He questioned him curiously.

"It's a Stamina Fruit," Link responded as they continued to follow the strange being. "It refills all of your stamina when you're tired. They're really good. You can find them lying around randomly."

Marth looked very intrigued, but nodded.

Link thought that they were going to go into the courtyard, but it was blocked off at night. The creature made a left, going downwards.

Confused, Link followed it over to a ledge, seeing it down there waiting for him and Marth.

When Link and Marth made it down there, they came across one of the creatures that were of the same species as Mia, the Headmaster's pet.

The cat creature was curled up into a ball, sleeping. But when it heard them, it got up, stretching and yawning.

"Is that…a cat?" Marth asked Link in a quiet tone.

Link unsheathed his sword. "Yeah…it is," He whispered back. "Stand back, these things can get vicious at night."

Marth stood back, but placed his hand on to the hilt of his blade.

The cat creature suddenly turned around with a monstrous face. It hissed and immediately jumped on to Link, scratching his face. Link hissed in pain and used the hilt of his sword to hit the cat creature in the face.

The cat creature whimpered in pain and curled up into a ball, hiding away from Link and Marth.

Link sighed in relief and sheathed his sword.

Marth was staring at the cat creature in shock. "What the heck was that thing?" He asked.

"That was a Remlit. They're pretty nice during the day, but at night they're choleric." Link responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Right…" Marth muttered.

"Anyway, let's continue following the strange being." Link said and continued off, jumping down over another edge and doing a front roll to break his fall. Marth had done the same afterwards. Link found a small chest while Marth found a blue Chuchu.

The Chuchu latched on to his boots and Marth frowned in disgust, unsheathing Falchion and hacking away at the slimy creature. When it was dead, Marth wiped the slime from his sword before putting it back in his sheath.

Meanwhile, Link opened the small chest, finding a Red Rupee! Link smirked and added that to his wallet, making him have 100 Rupees!

"What was that?" Marth asked as they continued on following the strange being.

"It's a Rupee," Link responded. "It's money here on Skyloft."

"Ah…" Marth nodded.

They reached a cliff where they would have to climb across. Link latched on to it and Marth followed suit. They both climbed across, watching their stamina. When they made it across, they were immediately attacked by hideous Keese!

They swooped down and tried to tear them apart!

"Ack!" Link unsheathed his sword and slashed away at them, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Are you sure this thing isn't trying to kill us?" Marth questioned Link, as he struck one of the Keese down. "Where is it taking us?!"

"I'm sure!" Link responded. "And I think this thing is leading us to the courtyard, but taking another route because the entrace was blocked off!"

Marth only nodded with a sigh.

When they killed all of the Keese they continued to follow the strange, sparkling being.

**[Later]**

Link and Marth finally reached the courtyard. The strange being stopped in front of the Statue of the Goddess, spreading its strange arms out and fading into the structure. There was a symbol there and it began to glow brightly.

Link and Marth watched as the symbol faded along with the structure it was on, revealing a secret passageway into the statue.

Marth and Link looked at each other before heading inside…


	6. FI

**Note: **Sorry this chapter took so very long. Thank you all for reviewing. I appreciate it.

* * *

**FI**

* * *

As Link and Marth entered the secret entryway, Link couldn't help but remark, "We're actually going into the Statue of the Goddess. I had no idea that this was here. It's all so strange."

"Things started getting strange when that void sucked me and my friends up." Marth talked quietly.

Link sighed while shaking his head. "Well, that is only for you. Things started getting strange when that black tornado took Zelda away." Link winced at the memory, hearing Zelda's screams even though she wasn't there.

Marth gave Link a sympathetic look before they finally reached the end of the small tunnel.

They stepped into a small, ancient looking room.

In front of them, embedded in a unique pedestal, was a mystical and wonderful looking sword.

"That's a sword." Marth pointed out the obvious, intrigued by the blade's majesty.

"No kidding…" Link muttered back, slowly approaching the sword. However, he took a startled step back when that strange being from before materialized out of the sword in front of him.

The being stared at Link before speaking in her unique voice, "_**The ones chosen by my creator. I have been waiting for you. You will both play a role in a great destiny along with four others.**_"

"Wait, so…_Marth_ is one of the five that are supposed to aid me in some great destiny?" Link questioned, his eyes becoming wide upon hearing this. He was so shocked and confused.

Beside him, Marth was feeling the same way.

"Who are the other four?" Marth queried the being.

"_**Yes,**_" replied the being. "_**Marth is one of the five who also play a role in a great destiny. Marth, the other four are your friends who have journeyed to this world with you.**_"

"I…I see." Marth muttered, looking downwards in deep contemplation. But there weren't just five of them who got sent to this world! There were seven of them!

The being turned her attention on both Link and Marth. "_**According to your social customs, I should provide you with my personal designation.**_ **Fi** _**is the name I was given**_."

"Nice to meet you, Fi," Link finally spoke again. "I don't think I need to tell you my name since you already seem to know."

The being, Fi seemed to be in a bit of a perplexed fashion for some reason after what Link had said, the first sentence he had spoken to her. She had no problem with the latter, but she still did not know how to respond to what he first said, so she ignored it completely.

"And I am Marth, a pleasure to meet you, Fi." Marth introduced himself as well even though Fi already knew his name for some mysterious reason.

Again, Fi ignored him too.

She went on and said, "_**I was created for a single purpose, long before the recorded memory of your people**_."

Link was awed by this. This being before him, Fi, was created long before the recorded memory of his people? That was really something! Link only wished Zelda was here with him, to hear all of this. However, she was not and that made him feel crestfallen and depressed.

"_**I must aid you, Link and Marth, along with the four other companions, in fulfilling the great destiny that is all of your burden to carry**_." Fi explained in her strange voice.

Marth listened to this intently, worried. "Wait, but are my friends all right? Are they okay?" He questioned Fi with a frown covering his features. He looked to be in a huge amount of concern.

"_**You must find that out on your own**_." Fi replied.

Marth shut his mouth.

"Don't worry, Marth. They're fine." Link assured him, placing a hand onto the prince's shoulder.

Marth only gave him a weak smile.

"_**Come, Link. You must take up this sword**_," Fi told Link, turning her head to the side to gaze at the blade embedded in the pedestal behind her. "_**You must take up this sword. As the one chosen by my creator, it is your destiny**_."

Link could not believe what he was hearing. He wondered if he was just dreaming, wondered if this was nothing but his imagination. What in the world was he going to do?

"Are you…are you sure you don't have me mixed up with someone else?" Link questioned Fi quietly.

Fi slowly shook her head.

"_**You are the one**_," She confirmed. "_**The strange dreams troubling your sleep. My sudden appearance**_. _**Uncertainty surrounding the fate of one you hold dear**_. _**Under the circumstances, it is only logical that you would exhibit some apprehension**_."

Link narrowed his eyes at her. He wanted to tell her that he was exhibiting _more_ than apprehension at the moment, but he did not open his mouth to talk. He was so confused and unprepared for this. Link glanced at Marth and saw that he looked rather troubled himself.

"_**To minimize your uncertainty, allow me to share some information**_," Fi decided, her tone the same as ever, robotic. "_**My projections indicate that this information has a high probability of altering your current emotional state**_."

"_This is odd…"_ Marth ruminated, eyes never leaving Fi.

"_**The one you seek, the honorable Zelda, is still alive**_." Fi finally revealed in her automatic machine voice.

Shocked and relieved, Link breathed out a happy gasp, a smile jumping onto his features. He took a step towards the being and asked, "Really? Zelda's alive?! She's really alive?!"

"_**Yes**_," Fi answered with a slow nod. "_**And this spirit maiden…the one you call Zelda…is another chosen one fated to be part of the same great mission**_. _**Therefore, should you wish to meet with your friend, I highly recommend you take up this sword before you set out to search for her along with your other companions**_." She elaborated.

Link glanced at Marth, hesitating.

Marth turned his attention on Link, raising an eyebrow. "It sounds legit to me, Link. You should go over there and take it. I don't think this…Fi creature is lying to us. Her words ring true." He said.

"…" Link moved his eyes to Fi again, still a little uncertain.

"_**Does that information invigorate you**_?" Fi sent a query to Link. "_**Are you ready to accept this sword**_?"

Link thought about it for a few seconds before replying, "I accept it if doing this is going to help me find Zelda!" He started dashing towards the pedestal, but Fi suddenly floated up into the air, gazing down upon him and causing Link to stop in his tracks, halfway there.

"_**It seems that further persuasive measures will not be required**_." Fi identified quietly. "_**In the name of my creator, draw the sword and raise it skyward**_."

"All right…" Link muttered, stepping on over and staring down at the hilt of the magnificent sword. He had never seen a sword like this before. He slowly placed his hands onto the hilt, grasping it firmly. Then, with a tug, he pulled it out of its containment.

"Raise it skyward, like she said." Marth urged Link, wondering what was going to happen.

Link nodded and lifted his arm, raising the sword skyward at a mysterious light that had suddenly made itself known. Once he did that, a light coursed through the sword and then flashed, brightening up completely.

"I…I got the **Goddess Sword**!" Link announced suddenly, completely out of the blue. "This mysterious sword is bathed in divine light."

"Beautiful…" Marth breathed, gazing at the sword Link wielded in pure amazement.

"_**Recognition complete, Master**_..." Fi's voice rang out throughout them, her robotic voice filling their ears. "_**Link**_…_**My master**_."

Link barely heard what Fi had said. He was too busy examining his new sword that was cloaked in wonderful light. He lowered it slowly, eyes widening just a bit. The way it looked, it took his breath away.

"Link!"

Startled, Link and Marth both turned around simultaneously to see Zelda's father, Gaepora, entering the Statue of the Goddess. The big man stood there with eyes filled in wonderment and surprise.

"I've had my suspicions, but until now I wasn't sure," Gaepora jabbered breathlessly. "Yet here we are in the **Chamber of the Sword**, the very place where it was foretold the youth of legend would one day appear."

"Wait a minute," Link talked, a frown dancing along his facial features. "You knew about this place all along? I had no idea about this place until now! How come you never told me?!"

"I was not sure," Gaepora retorted quickly while shaking his head. "So I kept silent about it. It is said that this place was left to our people by the goddess herself. The very knowledge of this room's existence is a secret passed down to a select few each generation, along with a handful of words…"

"Is…that true?" Link turned around fully to face Zelda's father, still gripping the sword in his right hand.

Marth kept silent throughout this whole conversation, not sure if he should interfere even though he knew he had a very big role in this as well, along with some of his friends.

"**When the light of the goddess's sword shines bright, the great apocalypse will wake from its long slumber**." Zelda's father said quietly, lowly. "**Do not fear, for it is then that a youth, along with his companions, guided by my hand, shall reveal himself in a place most sacred**."

Link was about to speak, but Gaepora continued, "It started days ago. The sword that I've kept secret all these years…It began to give off a faint, otherworldly light. At first I was sure I was seeing things, here alone with the sword. There was simply no other explanation. I never dreamed the prophecy of legend would come to pass in my lifetime."

"Well…it looks like it did, sir." Link commented.

"Indeed," Zelda's father agreed, looking up into the face of Fi. "The words I have sworn to keep secret are coming true before my very eyes."

Everyone listened closely.

"**The youth will be guided by one born of the blade—one who is also youthful in likeness yet wise with knowledge immeasurable**." Gaepora said, almost in some kind of ancient chant.

"_**Ah yes, the oral tradition, one of the least reliable methods of information retention and transmission**_." Fi spoke up after a long while of being silent.

Marth was seriously bothered by how she was speaking like a complete robot. Did she have no mind of her own? Was she just a programmed being? She sounded like a computer!

"**It appears that critical sections of the passage have been lost over the generations**."

Surprised, Link and Gaepora glanced at each other. Marth, however, did not see what was so shocking.

Fi floated downwards gracefully, watching all three of them with her blue eyes. "**The youth who draws forth the guiding sword shall be known as the goddess's chosen hero, and it is he who possesses an unbreakable spirit**." She stated fluently. "**He shall be burdened with the task of abolishing the shadow of apocalypse from the land, his companions aiding him. Such is his destiny**. **With the spirit of the blade at his side, he shall soar over the clouds and plummet below**…**And united with the spirit maiden, shall bring forth a piercing light that resurrects the land**."

Link made a noise of surprise, eyes enlarging. He knew that Zelda was the spirit maiden now. An image of his childhood friend appeared in his mind. He could see her standing there, smiling fondly at him. He instantly recalled what Zelda had said before.

"_Some of Father's old texts talk about a place called the __**surface**__. The old tales describe a whole world below, far more vast than Skyloft!"_

Link looked at Fi, speechless. Was he really going to go to the surface? What would be down there? Link was a little nervous about going down there, but he knew that he had to, for Zelda. Besides, he _did_ promise her that he would go down there with her. He never broke his promises, especially not to her.

"_**Master, you and Marth must embark on a great journey beneath the clouds to the vast realm of the **_**surface**," Fi told Link and Marth, looking at both of them. "_**It is only through this journey that you can fulfill the mission set before you by my creator, the goddess. It is also the only way to find your other companions**_."

Marth's heart pounded with hope at what Fi said. His friends _would_ be okay. He cared for them deeply.

"_**It is also the only method available for you to reunite with the spirit maiden, honorable Zelda**_." Fi continued.

Gaepora looked at Link, moving his hands in the air in worry and excitement. "This is no easy task, Link!" He told him seriously. "The world below is a forsaken place, and to reach it you must pierce the cloud barrier below. In living memory, no one has ever done this."

Link listened to Zelda's father, but his eyes were on Fi. He did not care if nobody has been able to do it in living memory. He was going to do it. He was going to do it for Zelda. He had to.

Suddenly, Fi raised her 'arms' and a bright light began to form in front of her. An ancient tablet materialized out of thin air, glowing brightly and floating towards Link, Marth, and Gaepora. Link took a step forward, watching as the tablet stopped in front of him.

"_**This tablet will illuminate a path through the clouds to the land below**_." Fi elaborated, talking about the tablet that was now just floating in front of Link. "_**Take it, and place it within the altar behind me**_."

Link grasped the tablet without hesitation, Marth and Gaepora quietly watching from behind him. Link held it tightly, gazing at its majesty. He thought it was strange piece of relic.

"_**Master, the first thing you must do is hit the crest sitting in this room with a **_**Skyward Strike**." Fi instructed emotionlessly, just gazing at Link with those blue eyes of hers.

Link eyed the pretty being after hearing that.

"_**These blasts are formed of pure energy that charges within your blade when you lift it skyward**_," Fi told him. "_**Once you have charged your blade, face the crest and swing your sword to send out a powerful **_**Skyward Strike**."

After hearing Fi's explanation, Link moved his eyes to peer at the crest behind Fi that was sitting in the room. He unsheathed his new sword and put the tablet away for a moment. Everyone was watching him and he felt a little nervous, seriously pressured.

"So I just raise it skywards?" Link asked for confirmation.

"That's what she said." Marth clarified from behind him.

Fi only nodded her head.

Link sucked in a breath and then released it, walking forward and letting Fi move aside so he could stand in front of the floating crest. He glanced at the sword in his grip before raising it skyward, tilting his head back to look at it as well. Right before his eyes, a light engulfed the blade, surrounding it magnificently.

Then, as if on cue, Link swung his sword at the crest, allowing the sword to release the power that it had stored, performing the Skyward Strike. Once the strike made contact with the crest, it began spinning rapidly around in circles. When it stopped, it flashed briefly before an altar began emerging from the ground beneath it. The altar looked like it could fit the tablet inside of it.

Without a word, Link walked over, sheathing his weapon and taking out the tablet. He placed it into the altar, at the bottom right corner. Link couldn't help but notice that it looked like three more pieces could fit in the space, which meant he might have to find the others.

Link then took a step back, watching the tablet and waiting for something to happen, but he didn't witness anything. Confused, he turned around to look at Fi.

"What just happened?" Marth questioned from where he was, perplexed.

"_**Master Link, it is done**_." Fi's voice danced around them.

"What is done exactly?" Link asked.

"_**Until now, a **_**cloud barrier**_** created by the goddess has separated the world you know from the one below**_. _**The tablet you placed in the altar has opened a small rift in the barrier. You can use it to travel through the clouds to the realm below**_." Fi explained in her reply.

"Really?" Link looked rather hopeful now, eager.

Fi only nodded her head.

"I'm coming, Zelda…" Link whispered to himself, determination flowing through him.

"_**I have recognized you as my master, and so it is my duty to follow you wherever you may go**_," Fi told him in her emotionless tone. "_**I reside within your sword and will accompany you in your travels. Call out to summon me whenever you require my assistance**_."

"Does the same go for Marth?" Link couldn't help but ask, eyeing the prince.

"_**Yes**_."

"Good." Link nodded.

Without another word, Fi jumped up into the air, turning into a small ball of light. The ball of light shot right into the hilt of Link's new sword, staying inside.

"Well…" Marth didn't know what to say.

Gaepora stepped over to Link, staring down at him. "Link, listen a moment. The nature of the great apocalypse mentioned in the old texts is a complete mystery to me," He started talking. "But whatever it turns out to be, it seems that both you, Zelda, Marth here, and some others have big roles to play in the destiny of this land."

"Yeah, I know," Link muttered, actually feeling overwhelmed. "It's really something…"

Gaepora nodded. "Just think—if what this Fi says is true, Zelda is alive! Alive and no doubt coming to terms with whatever it is the goddess has in store for her."

Link sighed at that. That was the only thing he was happy about at the moment, the fact that Zelda was still alive. He couldn't wait to see her again.

"Should you heed the call of destiny, I don't know what dangers you may have to face, Link," Gaepora went on. "Especially down there…"

"Don't worry," Marth spoke up suddenly, coming over to them and standing beside Link, looking at the large man that was Zelda's father. "I'm going with him, remember? He won't be alone to face whatever is down there."

"That's right, thank the goddess for that!" Gaepora said with some relief. Then, he turned back to Link. "But if you've decided to brave the unknown, please find my daughter and bring her back to me."

"My mind is already made up," Link answered seriously. "I'm going down there. I promise to return Zelda back to you, back to Skyloft."

"What we've seen here today defies explanation, but it is only the start of your journey. Please, see it through and prove the legends true." Gaepora spoke to both Link and Marth that time.

"OK!" Link replied with a firm nod.

"Right." Marth agreed.

To Link's surprise, Zelda's father reached down and took Link's hand in his two large ones, giving him a very proud look. "You do your people proud, Link!" He told him sincerely, shaking his hand.

Link grinned. "Thank you, sir."

"And thank you, your highness, for accompanying Link." Gaepora told Marth with a huge amount of respect and gratefulness.

Marth, a little unprepared for that, bowed and said, "You're welcome."

Gaepora then released Link's hand and looked upwards. "Dawn is drawing near. It has been a long night for the three of us, hasn't it?" He observed.

"Yes, it has." Link nodded.

"You both have a great journey before you, Link, and those clothes…They don't look up to the task." Gaepora said, scanning Link's clothing with a frown on his face.

At that, Link looked down at the clothes that clung to his body. He raised an eyebrow and agreed with Zelda's father, shrugging. "Looks like I need a change of attire."

"I agree wholeheartedly." Marth input, gazing at Link's clothing.

"The uniform you were to receive for winning the race should be ready by now," Gaepora commented. "A sturdy uniform like that will prove much more suitable for a long journey. You'd better change before you go."

Link only gave him a nod.

**[MUCH LATER]**

Link held the door open for Marth so he could come into his room. In his arm, he held a bundle of clothing, the uniform that Gaepora had told him about.

Marth thanked Link and stepped into his room. Link shut the door behind him and then sat down on his bed, sighing deeply and contemplating on what just happened. Marth decided to lean against the door, his arms crossed over his chest.

"You know, we have a big problem." Link blurted out suddenly, looking over at the prince.

Marth got rigid and he looked at him. "What is it?"

"You don't have a Loftwing," Link answered. "It will be too much strain on my own Loftwing with your weight along with mine."

"So what?" Marth asked, clearly unsure of what to do.

"We have to find you one…or hope that one comes to you, otherwise we will have to think of something else." Link explained tiredly, shaking his head.

Marth nodded. "Fine."

"Anyway, you should probably get to your room and sleep. We have a big day tomorrow." Link told him.

"Yeah…" Marth mumbled, turning and instantly leaving the room, softly shutting the door behind him.

Link sat his pile of clothing down on the bed and leaned back, resting his head on some pillows. He shut his eyes and whispered, "…Zelda…"


End file.
